


Aiding and Abetting

by Ramabear (RyMagnatar)



Series: Heavenverse [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Animal Death, Blow Jobs, Consensual Infidelity, Dimension Travel, Dogteeth Kakashi Headcanon, F/M, Groping, Infidelity, M/M, Manipulation, Multi, Name Confusion, Naruto is Loud, Polyamory, Sadistic Shisui, Sakura is Exhausted, Secret Relationship, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Manipulation, Smut, Tattoos, That's Not What Genjutsu is For, Unplanned Pregnancy, Well sort of unplanned, bad breakup
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-01 05:38:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6503011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyMagnatar/pseuds/Ramabear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Misfortune with a seal lands twenty five year old Kakashi and twenty one year old Shisui out of their Konoha and into another (less than satisfactory) Konoha after the Fourth Shinobi War. They're ten years into the future of a different world that's filled with a lot of the same faces. Confident they can, eventually, return home, the misplaced jounin have a little fun while they're in Konohell. </p><p>Of course, when you're known as Team Ignition with a penchant of screwing with each other for kicks, being dropped into post-war Konoha is a blank check for mayhem. It's not as though they're going to have to suffer the consequences of their actions, after all. By the time all their plots have come to light, they'll be long gone and people like Sakura will be left picking up the pieces.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. She's Not A Genjutsu

**Author's Note:**

> If you came here looking for happy Kakashi/Sakura shipping I am going to tell you right now that you're not going to find it here. I love that ship, it's true....but I like breaking Kakashi more. Canon!Kakashi is not going to be having a good time in this fic. If you're good with that, go ahead and enjoy.

“Base,” Shisui gasped out as he abruptly landed against the apartment door. His hair, the curls an unmanageable mess at the best of times, was wind-whipped and tangle-wild like the strangling vines in the western edge of the forest outside of Konoha. There were bits of leaves mired in the dark locks and drifting around him as though they had been caught up in his racing speed and brought along for the ride. In the low light of the hallway, his skin was an even darker shade of the golden-brown tan he’d picked up from their two months in Suna. It was enough light to catch the dancing of his black eyes, though, just as wide as his brilliant smile, and both sharing in the bubbling emotion of his joy and ease.

These were the things that Kakashi saw, and loved, as he landed second in the hallway, grinning under his mask. “Why do I even bother racing you?” He approached with greedy hands, sliding them up Shisui’s jacketed chest and, at the top, finding the zipper and pulling it down. “You always beat me.”

“Because I make losing as much fun as winning,” Shisui replied. With one hand he gripped the front of Kakashi’s waistband and with the other he reached to the doorknob and unlocked it with the key. He cocked his head to the side and that happy grin of his turned into a lewd one. “We’re not even going to make it to the bed, are we?”

The door opened and Kakashi shoved him inside, “Hell no.”

Stumbling in the dark, laughing like idiots, they fell onto the couch together. “Ugh,” Shisui wrinkled his nose as Kakashi straddled his hips, “You’re filthy. You’ve got to take all these clothes off right now.”

“Yes sir,” Kakashi grinned. He shed clothes like feathers from a molting bird, tossing them aside with complete carelessness until he was naked and Shisui was halfway there. His hitai-ate was the only piece of cloth he wore as he kissed Shisui down onto the couch. “Off with these as well, Shisui _-san.”_  Kakashi tugged on Shisui’s pants.

Shisui laughed, rolled his hips up and let his lover strip him down.

They were a tangle of lithe limbs and exchanged kisses, then, separated only by scant inches of air when they shifted to get more comfortable or steal a breath of air. Fingers ran over skin that rippled over muscle and stretched over bone. Words were forgotten in exchange for panting and groaning. The only pause came from a desperate reach for a flak jacket and then only for a pocket with a small container rarely used on a mission.

Shisui bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed when Kakashi was above him, chest straining with breath, skin shining with sweat, and his fingers twisting out of sight. Fine tremors shook Kakashi’s legs as he brought himself up and then down, settling slowly on Shisui’s cock with the ease of practice and the intention to savor the initial pleasure and pain. It wasn’t long after that that they moved together, Kakashi’s body shaking as he rode and Shisui’s body arching upwards to meet him with eager thrusts.

With a helping hand, Kakashi came, groaning out Shisui’s name. He rocked back and forth, shuddering through his orgasm and then shivering as his sweat began to cool across his shoulders. He made Shisui come by reaching down, grabbing his hair in both hands and pulling him up for a kiss until Shisui’s spine was stretched and his body quaked with the strain.

Panting against each other’s mouths, Shisui said, “Was it worth losing the race?”

Kakashi rolled his eyes and tugged on Shisui’s hair again. “Shut up and go to sleep.”

Laughing, Shisui closed his eyes. They curled up close together to keep either one from falling off the couch in the night, and went to sleep.

* * *

Kakashi first woke when Shisui pushed against his shoulder and mumbled out the words, “Shower. Breakfast. Morning meeting.”

Being even less of a morning person than Shisui, especially the first day after an extended mission, Kakashi grumbled and lay back long enough for Shisui to climb out from under him. Then he flopped back onto his stomach and drifted into a drowsy sleep.

The second time he woke, Kakashi’s bladder had decided there was a national emergency. He rolled off the couch with a groan, his limbs stiff and aching, and took another minute to get to his feet. Staggering to the bathroom, he discovered the room filled with steam and the sound of someone humming in the shower. He smiled as he relieved himself in the toilet and rolled his head around on his neck to crack the bone there.

There was a pause in the humming and then a soft voice, “Kakashi?”

“Mm?” He replied. He had thought he’d slept past Shisui’s showering time, but it seemed he hadn’t. He grinned, “Want me to join you, Lovely?”

“Yeah,” came the reply, “I mean. If you want.”

“Of course I want,” He rolled his eyes and took off the last of his clothing, the hitai-ate, and put it on the counter. “I _always_ want.”

He pulled back the curtain to more steam and chuckled, “Hot enough for you?” It was good that it was so hot, though. What spray hit him helped loosen up his muscles. He closed his eyes to the water, trusting his senses to make up for the blindness. It was easier, anyway, to keep his sharingan eye closed if they were both closed.

His hand found the bare skin of a back first and rubbed up the spine to the shoulders and neck. “Mm, you’re pretty tense. Let me help you with that.” He dug his fingers into the knots in the muscle and was rewarded by a loud moan. Leaning in, he pressed kisses to the nape of the neck. “You used my shampoo?”

“Well of course,” was the snapped reply, “Whose else was I going to use?”

“You don’t have to bite,” Kakashi mumbled, pressing more kisses along the neck and to the back of the ear. “I like it when you use my stuff. It makes you smell more like me.” He circled his arms around narrow hips and brought that smooth back against his chest.

“Mm, and that’s not a problem at all,” Came the scoffing reply. He felt hands work their way through his hair and let out a happy grumble as he kissed back down that long neck. “It’s not like we’re _trying_ to hide our relationship or anything.”

“Well, yeah,” he said against skin, “But the people who matter know. That’s what you said before, right?” As he spoke, he slid his one hand up, aiming for that slender neck, while his other hand slid down. He knew that his own interest was becoming more and more, how should he put it, hard to miss.

“What do you mean?” The voice rose this time, carrying a higher pitch than he expected as his own words were repeated back, _“The people who matter know?_ I thought you were the one insistent on making sure that we figured this thing out between ourselves before we told anyone.” The fingers left his hair with a sharper tug on the ends than he would have liked.

Kakashi’s rising hand encountered a surprising, ah, addition to the chest he was quite used to being flat and firm and he _couldn’t_ help himself. He cupped the breast with his hand and squeezed. A moment later, the _woman_ in his arms spun around to face him. He opened his eyes and stared into narrowed green ones. She had pink hair, he noticed absently, and a fine flush to her cheeks that could have been from any number of things.

“Don’t you try and distract me with those wandering hands of yours, Kakashi,” she had one hand resting on her hip as the other one pointed at him. Hot water pounded heedlessly at her head and back. Kakashi could feel her breasts against his chest with each breath she took. “Tell me who you told. Was it Naruto? Did you tell Naruto? Or someone else, who else do you hang out with?”

Kakashi blinked dumbly at her. Her questions were almost as bizarre as the fact that it was a _she_ that was asking them, talking to him. _This is the strangest dream._ “Why would I tell that brat about this? He’s just a fucking kid.”

For a moment he had the brief and dizzying sensation of having to be the one to give a sex talk to that little blond haired, blue eyed bouncing, pranking, monster child. No. _No._ He wouldn’t. Surely Minato or Kushina would manage that. Or if not, it would fall on the head of the kid’s jounin sensei.

She rolled her eyes. “He’s not a little kid anymore. He’s the same age as I am and-”

The rest of her words faded out under the white noise of the water. _Same age as I am._ She had to be, what, twenty? Twenty two? Looking at her face, she was young, probably his age or maybe a little younger, maybe Shisui’s age?

_Shisui._

“That’s it,” he said suddenly, “It’s a genjutsu.”

“What?” She stopped mid-sentence and stared at him.

He gave her a pat on the rump, really he couldn’t help himself even if she was just a carefully crafted figment of his lover’s _really_ fucked up sharingan tricks, and stepped back. “Everything’s a bit too real for it to be a dream and so the only answer is a genjutsu. It’s very impressive, even has all the basic senses covered. Touch, taste, sound, sight, smell- everything. It’s really marvelous.”

“...are you calling me, calling _this,”_ she gestured around them with one hand, “a genjutsu?”

“Ah. Yes.” He nodded with a little smile. “A very clever one. Very nicely done. I’m really impressed. I would not have thought to have come up with a pink haired woman in the shower, but Shisui, well, is Shisui.”

“...Shisui?”

This gave Kakashi pause. He looked at her face and saw that she was looking at him. _Really_ looking at him.

“...Kakashi…” She said, her eyes narrowing.

“Er. That is my name.” He replied evenly.

“Yeah?” She asked, “And what’s my name?”

He opened his mouth. She lifted an eyebrow. He shut his mouth. She cocked a hand back as a fist.

Her strike hit the curtain as it fluttered behind him. Kakashi as out of the shower before she could blink and his wet feet skidded across the tile floor.

The bathroom door opened on the other side and a man, tall with grey-silver hair, wearing loose clothing, a very, _very_ familiar mask and with his left eye closed, stood in the way.

“You pervert!” The woman shouted as she flung back the curtain. Kakashi spared her a glance before turning his attention back to the other man. She came to a stop too, still inside the shower. The sound of water falling stopped, after a moment, and then silence filled the room.

“Well,” said the older man. “This is…huh.”

“Kakashi!” The woman shouted, “What the hell is going on here!”

“I don’t know,” Kakashi snapped back at her. “Do I look like I know?”

The other man arched one eyebrow, silent. God, Kakashi had never realized how fucking _annoying_ it was to have someone’s face almost completely obscured when you were trying to figure out what was going on.

“I wasn’t talking to _you!”_ His distraction cost him and he turned at the sound of her footsteps just in time to catch that fist to the face. For a second, he saw stars, then he saw the ceiling, and then, dizzily, he thought he saw the moulding on the wall right by the floor. Staring at it, he thought absently, _I thought we repainted the walls from that ugly yellow to blue. Shisui likes blue._

And then things became gray and indistinct.

* * *

Shisui didn’t even have to touch the man, who he knew from the shape of his back, the set to his shoulders, that grey hair, hell, the _feel_ of him in the room, to be Kakashi Hatake, for him to turn around and move out of the doorway. That wary single eye focused on him and Shisui waved the spatula at him. “Here I was coming to invite the three of you to breakfast and what do you do? You’re all acting like a bunch of genin.”

He stepped into the doorway and crouched down beside his Kakashi. Shisui promptly decided to address the elder one as Hatake. It would be easier for his brain that way. “Come on you, stop your pitiful moaning you big puppy,” He muttered as he placed his fingertips carefully around Kakashi’s broken nose. He flared a touch of chakra down into the skin and a black seal rose, lit up and burnt away.

There was a crack and a flush of new blood but Kakashi blinked his eyes and looked up, “...Shisui? What the fuck genjutsu are you trying this time? She broke my damn nose!”

“It’s not a genjutsu and you know it. Clean up. Breakfast is ready,” Shisui said as he stood up. He looked from Hatake to the woman in the shower. She had grabbed the curtain and covered herself with it, flushing pinker than her hair. Waving the spatula at her he said, “Don’t punch him again. He’s too cute to have people breaking his nose all the time. And you,” He turned to Hatake. “Well… at least I can be certain you grow up hot, Kakashi.” He let his eyes travel down and then back up, “Nice. Very nice.”

At his feet, Kakashi rolled up to a sitting position. He grumbled, wiping blood away with a hand and then searching for a towel. Hatake eyed Shisui. “Welcome to my apartment. Have we met?”

“Kakashi!” The woman hissed.

“What?” Kakashi asked.

“Mm?” Hatake didn’t look away from Shisui.

Shisui grinned. “Let’s talk over breakfast. I’m starved. Kakashi hasn’t eaten in more than twelve hours because he’s an idiot. And you, Hatake, you look hungry too. Plus, it would be rude of me to not make food for the lovely lady guest,” He tossed her a bright eyed look, “What is your name, by the way?”

“Haruno Sakura,” She said, eyes narrowed, “Why did you call Kakashi by his last name unless…” She stared down at Kakashi, who had cleaned his face off from the blood and was staring at her, pale.

“H-haruno?” Kakashi whispered. “Oh no. Oh _no. Shisui,”_ he turned his head immediately and looked up, “I had no idea when I went in. I _swear._ You can’t tell Rin. Don’t you _dare_ tell her.”

Shisui laughed. “Mm, I might have to. How old is little Saku-chan anyway?”

“Hey!” Shouted the woman in the shower.

“Eleven,” Kakashi whispered. He put his hands in his face, “Oh my god, Shisui this is the _worst.”_

Shisui rolled his eyes and looked up to Hatake. “Do you see what I have to deal with? A puppy. You’re a puppy, Hatake. Look at yourself.”

“I was never like that,” Hatake said mildly.

“No, I suspect you were much more aloof and arrogant and whatever. The way you were before we met.” Shisui stepped towards him. Hatake shifted again, neither abandoning the bathroom or blocking the doorway. Shisui winked as he walked past, “Come to breakfast,” he whispered, “I made your favorite.”

And then he walked out of the bathroom, humming to himself.

* * *

“I don’t even know where to begin with this one,” Sakura said as she combed her hair briskly. She was still in the bathroom, half dressed in the clothes she’d brought over for just this occasion. “Doesn’t all the weird stuff happen to Naruto? Why me? Why us? Why now?”

Kakashi leaned against the closed door. He’d tossed the younger version of himself- Sakura’s head was still spinning over that one- out a minute after the stranger in the apron, underwear and _nothing else_ had walked in waving a spatula like he encountered this bullshit every day. He shrugged a shoulder, staring down at the smear of blood on the tile.

“What? No guesses at all?” She asked him.

“Mm,” He shrugged again, “I don’t think you’d like them.”

Setting down her comb, Sakura turned towards him. “Tell me what it is.” Her voice was firm even if her heart jumped in her chest. The… thing between them was still so new, so young. She worried about their relationship surviving change and the irregular pitfalls of the future all the time. “Please?”

Kakashi sighed. He closed his other eye and said, “Good things don’t last, Sakura. And how long has this good thing been going on between us? Three months? Four?”

“Four and a half,” She whispered. Her fingers shook and she made herself hold onto the sink counter to stop them. With a small smile she said, “We, us, this being together. That is a good thing, Kakashi. This weird…. whatever it is… that happened? That doesn’t mean we have to change. They came from somewhere, we’ll just have to make sure they can go back.”

Kakashi lifted his head and looked at her with his dark eye. Instinctively, Sakura stepped closer and reached out to him. She had just gotten her hand against his chest when there came a thump on the other side of the door.

“Shisui wasn’t kidding when he said breakfast was ready,” came the voice of the other Kakashi through the wood. “If you ruin it by being late you’ll make him sad. Weird alternate version of myself or not, I won’t be letting you make my boyfriend sad.”

Sakura closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on Kakashi’s shoulder. Quietly, stifling the annoyed groan she wanted to give, she whispered, “A boyfriend? That is the weirdest part of this…”

“Not really,” she heard her Kakashi say, “The weird part is that that man in the apron? The one he calls Shisui? That’s an Uchiha. He was Itachi’s best friend. I remember when he died.”

Looking up, she stared at him. “You’re kidding me. He’s an Uchiha? He’s related to _Sasuke?_ All he was wearing was an apron!”

“You know, this conversation of yours is really interesting,” said the voice on the other side of the door, “But we can talk about who died and who is related to who and all that over breakfast.”

Sakura closed her eyes. Of course younger Kakashi was eaves dropping. “Right. Let me finished getting dressed.” She stepped back and went to her overnight bag. Throwing on her shirt and loosely braiding her hair and tying it back, she nodded to Kakashi. He opened the door to an empty hallway.

In the kitchen they found young Kakashi. There were some immediate differences between the two of them that she saw. The first was that he lounged around with only pants on, _only pants._ No shirt. No mask. No hitai-ate. He wore an eyepatch over his sharingan, but his otherwise handsome face was uncovered. She couldn’t help but stare a bit.

Sure, she’d seen her own Kakashi’s face once they’d become more serious, but he had a decade of age and history that this young man didn’t have.

The second difference was that his attention wasn’t on any handy distracting book but he followed the Uchiha with his eye and a faint smile. That was the kind of look that she’d seen her father give to her mother. A absent-minded but loving look.

The third was that his bare arms and chest weren’t as bare as her Kakashi’s. Along with scars that the two of them might share, there was ink that they definitely didn’t. Across his right shoulder ran a trail of black dog paws. His left bicep had a snake circling a heart with the word “Mom” tattooed in it. On his chest, on the right side of his ribcage was a black pinwheel with a red circle around it.

She looked to her Kakashi who was glaring at the younger counterpart and asked, “Have you ever thought of getting tattoos?”

“No,” he said. He took a seat opposite his younger self.

Cautiously, Sakura sat between them at the side of the table. That left the fourth chair for the Uchiha.

_Shisui._

_He was Itachi’s best friend._

Sakura could guess why he had died, then. Itachi had had his mangekyou, after all.

“So,” She said, drawing out the word. She looked at young Kakashi. “No mask?”

He blinked and looked back at her. “Hm? Oh. Why would I need it? You’ve seen me without it. Shisui has too. And that old man has the same face.” He flicked his fingers as he indicated people.

Shisui approached the table suddenly and presented a large dish of egg and vegetables. “Don’t be rude to your older self, Kakashi. Hatake could probably take you. You know what everyone says about shinobi who make it to their thirties.”

“What, you’d make me fight myself on my own? I think we could take him if we fought together.” Younger Kakashi said, pushing his plate forward.

Shisui rolled his eyes as he served him. “Please. If there’s anything that I want to do with both of you, it is _not_ fighting.” He gave the younger one a wink.

Sakura blinked and then blushed. “Hey, wait a minute here.”

Shisui held up his hands, “No offense meant, Sakura. I wouldn’t want some strange person sleeping with my boyfriend either. Which is why we won’t fight and we won’t fuck. We’ll just pleasantly enjoy our breakfast together and then go on our way, right Kakashi?”

Mulishly, the younger Kakashi huffed and stuck out his bottom lip. “This is unlike you, Shisui. Where is your sense of fun?”

Shisui simply smiled as he finished serving Sakura and her Kakashi as well. Dizzily, Sakura looked from one to the other and then to Shisui, “You’re keeping them separate that way. By calling one Hatake and the other one Kakashi.”

He nodded. “Can you imagine referring to one as young Kakashi or my Kakashi or something? Ridiculous. They have two names, at least two names that we both know, though there may be other names that we call them privately. So why not use them?”

“Ah, you mean like how this one called me Lovely in the bathroom?” Sakura arched an eyebrow.

She was rewarded with a flush from little Hatake and a surprised blink from Shisui.

“Lovely?” He repeated. “Damn. And I missed it? He only uses that one when he’s sleepy. He stole it from his dad.”

The tension from Kakashi was unmistakable. Sakura glanced to him and saw him stiffly sitting with utensil in hand. He held it more like a weapon than something to eat with. Looking back to Shisui, she asked gently, “His...dad?”

Shisui gave her a sad smile. “I have a feeling… there are a lot of differences between our world and yours.”

Hatake leaned forward, “What’s it like here? I heard you mention that Shisui was dead in this world, but…”

“Who else?” Sakura ended for him. She gave a sad little laugh. “I guess that depends. How old are you two anyway?”

“Twenty one,” Shisui said.

“Twenty five,” Hatake said.

“Who do we have in common?” Shisui asked. He glanced to Hatake. “You said they mentioned Sasuke?”

Sakura nodded. “He was on my team, with Naruto Uzumaki.”

“Uzumaki?” Shisui lifted a brow.

“Not Namikaze?” Hatake asked.

“Sakura,” Kakashi cut them both off. His voice was firm. “That’s enough.”

“Kakashi,” She said, “They’re just curious. What harm could it do?”

“They’re from the past.” He said, “Even if their world is different.”

“That doesn’t give me a reason to not tell them about our past,” She said quietly. “If they can avoid the things that we suffered through. The Akatsuki, the thing with Obito and Madara, all of it--” She stopped not only because of Kakashi’s glare but the confused look Shisui was giving her.

“The thing with Obito?” He asked. “What thing? And what’s this Akatsuki? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Do. Not.” Kakashi said reaching over and putting his hand on Sakura’s arm. She met his gaze and held it. “Changing their future with our past. We’re messing with things that we don’t understand the consequences of.”

“What if it could save lives?” She asked back. “Even if we could only prevent Orochimaru’s attack during the chunin exams, they could stop the deaths of important people in their own world. They could have a more peaceful existence. ”

“Orochimaru’s _attack?”_ Shisui choked out the words.

Hatake leaned in. “What happened? What happens to him? Did he survive it?”

“Did he-” Sakura shook her head. Things were pretty damn confusing even on top of the two Kakashis. “Yeah. He survived. Unfortunately. He killed the Sandaime and put that seal on Sasuke that drove him out of the village. His attack damaged so much of the village. So many people got hurt, shinobi and civilians. It was horrible.”

 _“Sakura,”_ Kakashi said firmly, but his warning was drowned out by little Hatake.

“What are you talking about? Oro wouldn’t attack the village,” Hatake said harshly, half standing. “He wouldn’t! You don’t know what you’re talking about! He loves this village. It’s his home. It’s where his family is.”

Sakura turned, startled by Hatake’s tone. Kakashi’s grip on her arm tightened, but that was nothing compared to the tightness in her chest. “What? Didn’t he defect?”

“Of course not! He’s extremely loyal to Konoha.” Hatake leaned forward. His face was utterly serious, and for the first time she could see the way his mouth clenched and his lips pressed together. “He wouldn’t attack the village for any reason. This is where he built his home, with me and with my father. We’re his pack.”

She heard Kakashi make a soft choking noise.

“Ohhhh,” Shisui whispered, “Things are really, _really_ different here.”


	2. It Builds Character

“Look,” Shisui said. He had Hatake on his left, a coiled ball of stress and tension, and Kakashi on his right, a thrumming wire of indignant anger, and knew that neither one of them would be good with the kind of conversation they were about to have. That left him and the only remaining sane person at the table. “Sakura, I think that what we should do right now is finish breakfast. Kakashi and I have been on a pretty long mission to Suna and it sounds like we’ve still got a ways ahead of us before we can get home properly.

“And, while I would normally love to hash out the details between your world and mine for the sake of my curiosity, I have a feeling we’ll get more than one indignant outburst from the pup here.”

“Shisui,” Kakashi snapped. His sharp canines clacked together with his growl. _“Stop_ calling me that. This isn’t the place for it.”

“I’ll stop when you calm the fuck down and realize that the Orochimaru she was talking about isn’t the Orochimaru that you grew up with. You’re smart, Kakashi, so put your brain to work here, okay?” Shisui felt a curl of his own temper flare. He took a deep breath to contain it like the air needed to fuel a katon and let it out slowly. 

Kakashi sat down in his chair. He picked at his food in silence, watching with his grey eye wary. Shisui glanced to Hatake. 

Without the mask or the dropped hitai-ate, he would look so much like his father, Shisui realized with a little jolt. At least, in physical appearance. There was something hard and dangerously dark about his presence. He was less like the well-fed pack leader that Sakumo resembled and more like a half-starved lone wolf. 

If Shisui were to extrapolate from Sakura’s questioning about Hatake’s father, well, it sounded as though the Hatake in front of him now was the last of his clan as far as this world was concerned.

“Fine,” Sakura said, “Breakfast. And then we’ll help you two get back home.” She glanced to Hatake, “Do you think the Hokage can help?”

“Whether or not she can, she should know about this,” Hatake said.

Shisui blinked.  _ She? Who do they have as hokage?  _ “After breakfast,” he said firmly. “I still haven’t even gotten dressed.”

Sakura narrowed her green eyes at him, “Yeah. What’s with that anyway? Aren’t you cold running around only in an apron? And talk about indecent! I thought you Uchiha were more uptight than that.”

“I’ve got underwear on,” Shisui said waving a hand at her, “I’m not cold and all my bits are covered. I’m plenty decent.”

Kakashi snorted. “Don’t listen to him. Even to most of his cousins he’s a pervert.”

“Considering half my cousins consider a bare chest on a man or a woman to be perversion, I’m not fucking surprised they think I’m a pervert. They’re just  _ nipples.  _ Everyone has them. I tell you, the current generation has a stick up their ass so far they’re using it as support for their skulls.” Shisui rolled his eyes. 

Sakura laughed. “That sounds completely accurate to every Uchiha I’ve ever met. Conceited and stuck up who think that others are wrong for whatever reason.” 

“Who have you met?” Shisui asked, “Besides Sasuke?”

“Sakura,” Hatake warned. At least his tone had gentled somewhat. She looked at him and sighed. 

“Sorry. He’s just… it’s like talking to Naruto, somehow. They’re kind of similar, don’t you think?”

This time it’s Kakashi who clears his throat. “My older self has a point.” Shisui rolled his eyes because Hatake hadn’t said a damn thing. It was all that silent communication Kakashi was so fond of. “Maybe we should finish eating quickly and go to see the Hokage. Give her a report on the situation and figure out how to get the hell home.” He frowned, “I’m not sticking around in a place where Oro turned traitor and my dad’s dead. Fuck that.”

“Orochimaru is dead as well,” Hatake said. 

Shisui snapped his hand out and grabbed Kakashi’s shoulder before he could finish standing up. He squeezed tightly and shoved him back down into his seat. “You,” he said to his boyfriend, “Sit down. Finish your food and get fucking dressed.” Turning his head to look at Hatake, he said in the same tone, “You shut the fuck up and stop antagonizing your younger alternate self. Don’t push his buttons and I won’t push any of yours.”

Hatake stared at him for a while and then shrugged his shoulders and gave a small nod.

Across the table, Sakura sighed. “This is going to be a weird day…” 

_ Definitely,  _ Shisui thought in silent agreement. 

* * *

On the way to the Hokage’s tower, Kakashi decided that this Konoha was  _ terrible. _

Well. It obviously was since the moment he’d had breakfast with his older self and said older self’s girlfriend and his own boyfriend, but outside it was even worse.

It smelled awful. Not just because it was a city and they tended to smell worse than the woods anyway. He was used to that from his Konoha. 

But there was grief and terror and, worst of all, fear, in the air. Old fear. Half dead and lingering like smoke from a forest fire that formed the clouds above and brought down a chilling rain. Except here it was etched into the faces of the people they walked past and sunk into the stone and wood that made up the buildings.

“What… What happened here?” Shisui’s voice was small, not from awe, but horror. Kakashi inched closer to him, sliding his hand into Shisui’s and squeezing. Shisui squeezed back tightly. However used to this kind of sight they might be, seeing their own village recovering from a war torn state was going to be different. More significant. More disturbing.

Sakura glanced at them. She walked on Kakashi’s other side while Hatake escorted them on Shisui’ left. Her gaze flicked to his counterpart but he shook his head so she sighed and said simply, “The Hokage can explain.”

“Who do you have as Hokage?” Shisui asked.

“Tsunade-hime,” she said. “She's the Godaime.”

“Woah.” Shisui rubbed at the back of his neck, “This is really different. What… You said the Sandaime was attacked? What about the Yondaime?” He glanced over their heads to the monument, “Where was he? You made it sound like the attack on the Sandaime was in your lifetime.”

Another glance from Sakura to Hatake. Another head shake. She frowned, this time, worrying her lip.

Before she could say anything, though, there was a shout of “Sakura! Hey!” And Kakashi was turning to look before he could think about it. He knew that shout, albeit the voice was much younger in his head, but the sight of blonde hair and blue eyes and that big grin confirmed it.

Naruto wasn’t alone, either. He dragged someone by the hand who looked an awful lot like- 

“Oh god,” Shisui breathed, “Look at him, he’s all grown up. Itachi’s going to have a  _ fit.”  _

Hatake stood like stone, his displeasure and annoyance radiating off of him. “Don’t,” he warned.

Shisui glanced to the man, “Although I meant what I said earlier about not  _ wanting  _ to fight you, Hatake, you’re starting to change my mind.”

Hatake narrowed his visible eye at Shisui, who only grinned back at them.

“Hey… Naruto…” Sakura was left alone in greeting the blonde, stepping towards them. “Uh. What are you two doing up so early?”

“Teme lost yesterday’s training match,” Naruto said gleefully, “So he wanted a rematch this morning but I said I wasn’t going to fight on an empty stomach so he promised to buy me breakfast first!”

“Ooh,” Shisui’s attention was removed from Hatake at this. Kakashi was glad. Shisui was most dangerous when people came between him and his family. “You two are on a date then?” 

Naruto’s cheeks flushed, “Wh-what? A date? No way!” He blinked and then asked, “Who are you?” Then he seemed to see Kakashi for the first time and his eyes grew wide, so wide, and went from Hatake to Kakashi and back, “And what is going on?”

Sakura heaved a sigh.

Shisui beamed. “We’re from an alternate dimension,” he said as he put an arm around Kakashi’s shoulder. “Just visiting. By accident.”

Sakura put her hand over her face. “We should have taken the roofs to the hokage’s office,” she muttered.

“And miss this lovely walk through Konoha?” Shisui gasped, “Not on your  _ life,  _ Saku-chan.”

She shot him a glare. Kakashi edged forward so she’d have to go through him to get to Shisui. She gave him a look that said she could, and would, with pleasure.

“Ohh, I’ve done that,” Naruto said. “Do you have Menma there instead of a Naruto?”

Shisui shook his head. “Nah, our Naruto is still Naruto. Littler though. You’re only eleven there, just like Sakura and Sasuke here.” He glanced to his cousin. Kakashi tensed but only because he saw Hatake do so out of the corner of his eye. “Hi little cousin, look at you, grown up so big.”

There was an awkward pause as Naruto looked to Sasuke, as they all did, really, and Sasuke stared back at Shisui. He narrowed his eyes to slits. “Who are you?”

“Don’t,” Hatake said again, sharper this time.

Shisui gave Hatake a languid smile. Kakashi sighed imperceptibly. This was not good. Not good at all. And they were still in the middle of the street. “Hatake, don’t you know better than to come between an Uchiha and his family? Why don’t you run ahead and let the Hokage know we’re headed in. I’m sure she’d like a head start on her drinking. I always seem to manage to give the poor woman a headache.”

“Shisui,” Kakashi hissed, “Stop antagonizing him.”

“But he wants a fight,” Shisui said, with that smile still in place. “I’d be happy to oblige. And why are you complaining, anyway? Don’t think I can take him? Or do you not want to have to deal with the aftereffects?” 

“Shisui?” is what Sasuke says, eyes widening. 

“Why did I get out of bed this morning,” is what Sakura says, putting her other hand over her face.

“Aftereffects?” Is what Naruto asks, cocking his head to the side. 

_ I could take you,  _ is what Hatake’s narrowed gaze says.

Kakashi sighed, again, louder this time. “No. Not in the street. Maybe later. We just fucked like, ten hours ago, Shisui. Not even you need it that often.”

“It’s not about  _ need, _ Kakashi,” Shisui whined, “It’s about  _ wants.”  _ He turned fully away from Hatake at that point, pouting at Kakashi. “I always want.”

Sakura made a choking noise. Whether that was because of the discussion or because she was remembering, like Kakashi was, that he’d said literally the same thing not an hour ago in the bathroom, well. Who knew for sure?

“Hokage office. Then fight. Then we clean up. That’ll take at least an hour which will put us around twelve hours, so we can fuck and then get lunch, okay? Unless something else comes up.”

“Perfect. Do you think they have a comparable place to ‘Tachi’s tea shop? I want to find out. Plus we should swing by and see the folks, or whatever, whoever is left. I don’t know. This place is messed up.” Shisui turned. He held Kakashi’s hand, swinging it slightly as he spoke and walked, “Have you noticed that? I mean, it’s smaller, sure, but there’s something really fucked up about this Konoha.”

“Yeah. There really is.” He walked with Shisui, ignoring the others who stayed behind, shocked into silence. 

* * *

Sakura didn’t want to lower her hands, but she had to. The silence was too much. She looked up, first to Naruto. She could explain it to him in simple, simple terms. That way Sasuke had enough time to process everything. If he had questions, well, she could answer those. Maybe.

_ “I always want.”  _

She shivered at those words. She’d forgotten them, but now she heard them bouncing in her head again. If her Kakashi ever said that to her…

Right. Explaining things. 

“So, Naruto,” She got his attention. He was bewildered, obvious. That was fine. He’d catch on quickly. “I went over to Kakashi-senpai’s apartment this morning so we could meet up for breakfast and maybe a sparring match,” that was her very prepared excuse.  _ I woke up naked in his bed and little Hatake joined me in the shower,  _ was a phrase that was never going to come out of her mouth. No one knew about her and Kakashi. Not yet anyway.

Maybe not ever, if things… didn’t turn out well. (Maybe no one would believe anyway, with the way little Hatake so openly discussed his habits with Shisui. Was Kakashi gay? Was it something else? She didn’t even know where to start on that one.)

Naruto nodded to her words, believing her. He as good like that. She appreciated it.

“We found those two in his apartment. They had, ah, apparently let themselves in the night before and fell asleep on the couch.” Clothing all over the floor, a bottle of lube tossed onto an abandoned vest. How had they missed the two of them coming in and, well, fucking on the couch like that? Had she and Kakashi been that tired?  _ Really? _

“During breakfast we discovered they’re from another place and, uh, we need to get them home. So we’re going to the Hokage’s office to talk to her about it and… what is it?”

That wasn’t directed to Naruto, but to Sasuke who had closed his eyes tightly and sighed through his nose.

“You just let them walk off on their own like that?” He said, “How can you even be sure they’re still headed to the Hokage’s office?”

She winced, opened her mouth to retort and stopped. Kakashi had vanished from her side in a flurry of leaves. She frowned at the space where he had been. 

As soon as he’d gone, Naruto asked, “Kakashi-sensei’s  _ gay?” _

Sakura had to close her eyes too.

* * *

Genjutsus were marvelous things.

The Hokage had been busy when they arrived so Shisui had told Shizune, with a cheerful smile, that he’d be happy to wait while she finished up with a mission debrief. Or whatever. He didn’t much care what was happening in the office, at this point, because they were around a corner and down at the end of a hall where a genjutsu was in place to make them relatively ignored and Kakashi had him pinned up against the wall.

As long as they weren’t too loud --and with their mouths pressed against each other how could they be?-- the genjutsu would hold. It was just like an extended shadow. A part of the corner that was disinteresting to the brain of anyone outside of the corner.

Shisui’s brain, however, found it very interesting. So did his cock. 

“How much longer do you think we’ve got?” Kakashi breathed into his ear. His hips pushed against Shisui’s, grinding cock to cock through layers of rough fabric and beautiful friction. 

“Hell if I know,” Shisui muttered back, “She hates meetings as an administrative head in the hospital, though, so probably not too long.” Even as he spoke, he worked his hand down into the space between them, searching, seeking. 

Kakashi shuddered in his arms as his fingers found what they were looking for. Shisui slid his hand down under cloth and against skin and curled calloused fingers around Kakashi’s length. “Long enough for this?” The words were said against the skin of his throat.

Shisui grinned. “And here you were just saying that it was too soon to fuck.”

“Fucking and handjobs are different beasts,” Kakashi replied. His hand was down the front of Shisui’s pants as well. “Don’t complain.”

“I’m not.” He dragged Kakashi into a kiss as his hand moved up and down eagerly. They were trapped together, bound too close to get too quick, but it was enough pressure and enough heat and enough friction that Shisui bucked into Kakashi’s hand and groaned.

Thoughtfully, Kakashi muffled his groaning with his own mouth. He bit at Shisui’s lips, making them bleed when he wasn’t careful. In his lust, in his haste, he wasn’t very careful.

Shisui ended up slinging a leg up around Kakashi’s hips. More for grip and cover than anything else, as he managed to work down the front of Kakashi’s pants. The action was returned in kind until they were bare against each other. Kakashi panted against his throat as he used his hand in tandem with Shisui’s. 

“Close,” Shisui whispered.

“Mm,” Kakashi’s reply was full of the skin of Shisui’s neck. 

Not much later, Shisui shuddered and kept shuddering until he came with a cry he muffled by biting down on the shoulder of Kakashi’s flak vest. Kakashi groaned at the sudden, overwhelming scent of Shisui’s come, at the heat of it and the sticky slickness of it on his hand and his own cock. Instinctively, he dug his teeth into Shisui’s skin as he came, rocking into it and pressing Shisui back against the wall. 

They pulled apart slowly, with long kisses and snickers on Shisui’s part. Kakashi rolled his eyes at his boyfriend and tugged out a cloth he kept in his vest pocket to clean off his hand. Shisui had taken care of his own hand with his tongue, as was his way, but allowed Kakashi to wipe him down as well. 

Somewhat cleaned up, and with Shisui humming with smug contentment, they cancelled the genjutsu and headed back towards the Hokage’s office.

* * *

Sakura was just about to think that Sasuke was right and the two dimension hoppers had slipped through their fingers when said pair waltzed into the office with Shizune opening the door for them.

They looked. Different. Somehow.

Kakashi stiffened at her side. “Unbelievable,” he muttered. 

She glanced to him, frowning, then looked back at the pair. What was it?

Then she saw the bit of blood on Shisui’s neck and asked, “Did you two get in a fight? What happened?” 

They shared a glance. Smug was the only expression Shisui had. It was a bit harder to read Hatake. He had his face covered and, well, he was different from Kakashi in significant ways. Tiny, age and stress related ways, but significant ones. He seemed smug as well, though. “Not a fight, no,” Shisui grinned. “Everything’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“So these are the two?” Tsunade asked, frowning at them. Naruto and Sasuke hung off to the side. Naruto curious and Sasuke scowling as if he hadn’t been the one to insist they come along. “Are we certain about who they are?”

“I’d say we could compare histories or something,” Shisui said, “But from the little I’ve learned already, that would probably be useless.”

Hatake shifted on his feet, lifting a shoulder in a shrug, “It’d be interesting, though. Someone says a name and we compare the stories.” He glanced around at them and added, “I think we’d win, Shisui. Our Konoha is better, hands down.”

“Well obviously,” Shisui said with a wave of his hand, “But that’s not the point. The point is that yeah, we’re Uchiha Shisui and Hatake Kakashi and we’re here by accident but I saw the thing that probably sent us here while I had my sharingan up. Between the two of us, it’s likely I can get us back home again.”

“And what, exactly, did you see?”

“A seal,” he replied promptly. “There are a lot of them scattered through our forests.  the Third and Minato-san set some up and, ah, the rest of the Uzumaki enjoy experimenting. I’ll copy it down, Kakashi will review it and tweak it if we need to and we should be out of your hair.”

“The worst case is that we’re stuck here,” Hatake said, “The best case is that we accidentally set up a two way portal between your shitty Konoha and our way better one.”

Tsunade’s eyebrows twitched. “You certainly have the Uchiha superiority around you, boys. Our Konoha isn’t any worse than yours is.”

“Frankly,” Shisui said, “It really, really is.”

“I can list off like, a dozen people that are dead in your world that aren’t in mine,” Hatake added. “And we don’t have half a village turned to rubble for some unfathomable reason. Really. What happened here?”

Sakura couldn’t help but glance towards Naruto and Sasuke.

Shisui seemed to catch her glance and made a thoughtful “ah” noise, “Of course. Naruto and Sasuke. You two would be involved in some crazy bullshit. You two are a pair of monsters back home.”

“Two little terrors,” Hatake said much to gleefully.

Tsunade rubbed at her temples. “Sakura?”

“Yes, Shishou?”

“I’m putting you in charge of this. If they cause trouble, you have my permission to beat them into an inch of their lives. I want them to figure out that seal and get out of Konoha as fast as possible, before  _ I  _ beat them within an inch of their lives.”

Sakura didn’t hang her head. She had known she was going to be in charge of this. Naruto couldn’t do it, he was still responsible for Sasuke. And Kakashi…? Well. He looked far too tense for this situation. She didn’t like it. “Of course.”

“Are we Saku-chan’s mission?” Shisui asked with way too much glee. “Does this mean we are going to stay at her place or at Hatake’s place or are we staying with Sasuke. Can we stay with Sasuke?”

“Why do you want to stay with Sasuke?” Hatake asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” He gestured toward Sasuke, as if it was, indeed, obvious.

Apparently it was, though, because Hatake looked at Sasuke, hmm’d thoughtfully and then nodded. “I see your point.”

“I’ll leave that up to Sakura,” Tsunade said, smiling now. She looked positively entertained with the whole concept, now that it was Sakura’s responsibility. Unfair. It was really unfair. “As for what information can be passed back and forth, well. It seems like there is enough difference between our two worlds that it doesn’t seem to matter much. Entertain yourselves with it, I suppose, but keep in mind that it’s not the same and could cause problems on your end, Uchiha.” She waved a finger at him, like he was the only problem child in the room.

Honestly, he was really acting like it though. He pouted at Tsunade, “Well yeah. Not to mention at least a ten year difference between the two worlds, there’s so much changed. I’m not sure I’m even going to bring this up when I get home. Maybe I’ll pass it off as a really impressive genjutsu.”

“Mm, could work,” Hatake murmured, “Or just a really fucked up dream. Who would make Tsunade-hime the Hokage anyway? She’s way better in the hospital.”

“Sakura,” Naruto suddenly jumped in, “Are you going to need help with these two? They seem really damn weird.” 

“Kids these days,” Shisui said with a sniff. “No manners. Who even raised you?”

Kakashi turned hostile at that. He turned towards Shisui. His hand snaked out to grab the man, but the Uchiha wasn’t there when he struck. 

He was across the room, lounging against the Hokage’s desk. His eyes were dark and surprisingly cold. “Oh. Touched a nerve with Hatake.”

“Naruto is practically family,” Hatake said, the younger one. Sakura was going to lose her damn mind over this. “Of course insulting him would be a bad idea.”

Sakura could feel ANBU edging in. They didn’t like how close Shisui had gotten to Tsunade and, frankly, neither did she. 

“Hokage-hime,” Shisui asked, “Are we free to go for now? I think Hatake and I need to work through our differences with our fists for a little bit.”

She arched an eyebrow, clearly not threatened by him. “Go on. Don’t kill each other.”

“As if I’d let him,” Shisui said. He bent over and, to Sakura’s utter surprise, and perhaps for the rest of them as well, he placed a kiss on the top of Tsunade’s cheek. “Thank you, oh lovely princess. Let’s go drinking sometime. My treat!” He winked and then was gone. The only mark of his passing was the window sliding open and Hatake’s sigh.

“Damn flirt,” he muttered, “How many fucking times do I have to tell him…” He shook his head and said to Kakashi, “I blame you for this. He’s showing off because of you. If you two end up fucking at the end of this sparring match, just remember turnabout is fair fucking play.” And then he was gone too.

Kakashi gave a low growl and followed after them both.

“I’m… curious,” Naruto said, slowly, “And I want to watch the fight but, uh, not really sure if I should…”

“He’s an Uchiha,” Sasuke said sharply. “We’re going to go watch him fight. If they… do that other stuff we can just leave.” Naruto shrugged, nodded and left with him out the window.

Sakura looked to Tsunade.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and said, “Have fun with that, Sakura. I’m sure it’ll be good experience.”

“For what?” Sakura asked, “Is this going to ever,  _ ever  _ happen again?”

The woman shrugged. “At least it will build character.”

Sakura sighed and said, “I’m going to go make sure they really don’t kill each other.” She too went out the window, barely hearing Tsunade call out, “Fifty down that Kakashi wins!”

As it turned out, she would’ve lost that bet.


	3. Without Honor Without Home

She had spent, maybe, thirty extra seconds behind Kakashi in the Hokage’s office, but by the time she hit the training ground, there were six trees on fire and a rupture of earth that hadn’t been there before. She landed beside Naruto and Sasuke, glancing over to see Hatake leaning against a post with all the posture and expression of someone bored out of their mind. 

Sasuke’s sharingan followed the flickers of movement as Shisui flickered in and out of existence while he fought Kakashi. “Please,” she said, “someone tell me they actually decided on rules before they started fighting.”

“They did,” Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. “First to surrender, no fatal injuries, no purposeful maiming and no Sharingan. They chose Sasuke as judge for when it got too far.” 

“They chose  _ Sasuke?”  _ Sakura blinked. “I mean, no offense, Sasuke, but, uh…”

He frowned but said nothing. She had the feeling he didn’t even notice her talking. He shifted, stepped forward, following the battle with red eyes. Sakura glanced again to Hatake.

He had pulled out a book with a blue cover and was reading.

“I couldn’t keep up visually,” Naruto muttered. “And uh, young Kakashi said he already knew Shisui was going to win, so he didn’t want to waste his time.”

Sakura frowned. “What? Really? There’s no way that Shisui could win against Kakashi. Kakashi has a lot more experience and skills.”

There was a snort from Hatake. Sakura sent him a glare but he was, of course, wholly unfazed by it. 

“Shisui is winning,” Sasuke said suddenly. “He’s gotten three hits on Kakashi already, each one drawing blood, while Kakashi has only managed to keep his fireballs at bay. Even without the sharingan, Shisui has better speed. Plus…” he frowned. “Kakashi is angry. I think Shisui is taunting him.”

“Well obviously,” Hatake said. “What, did you expect Shisui to be  _ honorable?”  _ He turned a page, “He’s a shinobi. We have no honor. We do whatever has to be done to win.”

“Even cheat?” Naruto asked, “Would he use the sharingan even though he declared the rule not to?”

“Shisui doesn’t need the sharingan to break someone,” Hatake said, “That just makes it effortless.” He finally glanced up, his eye crinkling in that far too familiar smile that somehow seemed so much more vicious than anything Sakura had seen on Kakashi’s face before. “But Shisui likes to expend the effort necessary to win when he really wants to win. He likes winning. A lot.”

“Four strikes.” Sasuke called out. A plume of steam rose suddenly and both combatants broke apart. Kakashi’s chest heaved. Shisui’s face was lit with a broad smile. He held a tanto in one hand, but as they watched he tossed it from left to right and back again, never taking his eyes off of Kakashi.

“Did you recognize that one at all?” Shisui asked. “Because you should have. That was a from a Hatake clan kata. Your dad’s become quite an avid teacher in his later years. I think he takes on a new student every five years or so, but it was only Kakashi who got to know  _ all _ the techniques.”

Kakashi shifted on his feet, a kunai in either hand, his feet scraping through the dirt. He said nothing.

“I suppose it’s not typical to share clan techniques, but, well, I gave some Uchiha ones to Kakashi and, at this point, we’re pretty much a part of each other’s Clans.” Shisui ended up with the blade in his left hand and twisted on his feet, turning his side to Kakashi. “I keep thinking, you know, maybe I should propose to him, but I’m never quite sure exactly how to go about it.”

Again, Kakashi said nothing. He sprang forward, though, and there was the clang of metal as blades met and danced across each other’s surfaces. Their footwork was impeccable, Sakura could tell that much. They didn’t move any more than they had to and kept just out of each other’s reach.

All the while, though, Shisui spoke companionably, as though meeting a friend at dinner and talking about his lovelife. “I suppose I could ask Sakumo about how to do it. I never really heard the story of how he proposed to Orochi-san, but I hear it was quite the tale. Then again, maybe his best friends? Although, frankly, I think Rin and Obito would have varying ideas on what to do for an engagement. They had two proposals of their own, after all, before Rin considered it serious enough to wear the ring.”

They were moving slow enough that even Sakura could see the falter in Kakashi’s attack. Her breath caught in her throat as the blade of the tanto swept through the outer flesh of his shoulder, cutting just shy of his jounin vest and sending blood dripping down his arm. 

“Five,” murmured Sasuke.

Kakashi leaped backwards. One hand empty of his kunai.

His hand twitched towards a vest pocket.

“I wouldn’t,” Shisui said, still smiling. “Summoning your dogs means I’ll have to summon Byakko and the rules say  _ we  _ can’t kill each other but not that our  _ summons _ can’t kill each other. Fair warning, Byakko likes to kill dogs.”

Sakura shuddered at Shisui’s tone. It was all ice while he was all sunshine in his smile. “He’s bluffing,” she whispered. “It’s just a spar… He wouldn’t kill one of the ninken.” 

“He’s not,” Sasuke said. His tone was strangely flat. Sakura glanced towards him, peering around Naruto to get a better look at his face. It was just as blank as his tone. 

Naruto, on the other hand, opened and shut his hands at his side. He vibrated with the effort it took to keep to the side. “This isn’t right,” he said, “They’re really going after each other. They’re really trying to hurt each other.”

There was tense silence on the field. Kakashi’s hand was still half raised to his pocket, as though he were trying to deduce Shisui’s bluff for himself. Sakura clenched her hands in front of herself, looking from Kakashi’s tense posture and tight expression to Shisui’s loose limbs and easy-going smile. “Is he even taking this seriously?” She asked, staring at the unfamiliar Uchiha. It was so odd, seeing him standing like that, one hand on his hip, the other swinging back and forth at his side.

Itachi had been utterly still, the few times she’d seen him, and utterly somber. Everyone she had known considered him the apex of Uchiha behavior; marble still and ice cold, a polite face over a violent core- at least, until the truth had come out and proved at least the polite facade wasn’t just surface deep.

And, well, Obito or Tobi, that guy had been crazy. Sakura had chalked that up to the fact that someone had  _ driven  _ him crazy.

Shisui, on the other hand, was a different Uchiha altogether. Not the marble and not the madness. Not like Sasuke with his trigger happy temper, either. 

Kakashi made his decision. With his own blood on his fingers, Kakashi went through the handsigns and dropped his palm to the ground, summoning a pair of ninken. Sakura sucked in a sharp breath as she recognized Bull and Akino. 

There was a flash of metal as Shisui used his tanto to draw his own blood. He flashed through the handsigns at a blurring speed and a grin towards Sasuke. “Careful,” he called as he placed his palm on the ground, “Those aren’t handsigns you want to learn, kiddo. Byakko isn’t kind to those who sign his contract.” 

As he drew back from the smoke, an adult tiger rose, stretching, from the ground. With a snow white underbelly and gleaming orange stripes running down the spine and over the face like the setting sun trapped in fur, Byakko considered the training field with a single golden eyed glance.

If tigers could smile, Sakura supposed Byakko was smiling, although it looked more a pulling back of the lip to bare yellowed fangs and a crinkling of brilliant eyes. “Hatake dogs?” The tiger asked, flicking an ear towards Shisui. His long tail swished behind his back legs, “I cannot wait to hear the story behind this one, little cub. You will tell me later.”

“Just the dogs,” Shisui said. The smile, for the first time Sakura saw in the battle, slid off his face. He shifted his stance, sword up, eyes intent on Kakashi. “The man is mine.”

The tiger heaved a great breath through his nostrils as if scenting the earth and then let it out in a rumbling growl. “That will have to do, I suppose. Dogs are fun, even if they aren’t interesting.”

Movement out of the corner of Sakura’s eye drew her attention away from the man and the tiger. Hatake lowered his book. She saw his brow furrowed and recognized the frown under the mask. A grey eye glanced towards her and he visibly grimaced. “You should be prepared to help him grieve,” he said, “This isn’t going to end well.”

“Kakashi can beat this bastard,” Naruto said decisively. “He and his dogs are amazing!” His blue eyes flashed as he turned a glare to Hatake. “You should have seen them in the fourth war! They were brilliant!”

“Fourth?” Hatake murmured, lifting his book again. “How many have you had? Five? Six?”

“Only the four,” Sakura admitted. There was lead in her stomach, cold and heavy. She couldn’t carry Naruto’s conviction. Not with the chill that prickled across her skin. 

“Well then,” Hatake turned a page in his book, “This’ll be over quick then. We’ve had seven. And started two.”

“Seven?” She breathed out the word. “How? When?” And what did he even mean by _ started two? _

She never heard Hatake’s reply, if there was one, because the battle drew her back in with a yelp and the clash of metal again. There was a blossoming fireball scorching its way across the grass and she put up an arm reflexively to block her eyes from the light and the heat. There was the sizzle of water turning the fire into steam, but it didn’t completely smother the flame. 

Grass at the far end of the field turned to char in seconds, burning so hot and so fast that they couldn’t maintain a flame long enough to catch any trees on fire. When she lowered her arm, she saw a leveled tree, a streak of blood across the dirt and Kakashi leaping through the air towards Shisui. They fought each other at the far end of the field, opposite of the audience, but within Sasuke’s sight.

She couldn’t see either dog or the tiger. 

“Where did it go?” She asked, “The tiger. Where is it?”

“The woods.” Naruto whispered, “It… It got Bull by the shoulder and then Akino harried it into the woods. There’s two of them and one of it, I mean, they’ll… They’ll be okay, right?” He glanced away from Shisui and Kakashi, turning the bluest eyes onto Sakura. She looked down immediately, unable to hold his gaze. 

“This is getting out of hand,” Sakura whispered. “How do we stop them?”

“Naruto. Don’t.” 

She looked up to see Sasuke holding Naruto back by the arm. 

“Let go of me, you bastard,” Naruto snapped. “They’re going to kill each other! You can see it better than us!”

“They’re not using lethal force.” Sasuke said, “And Shisui’s stopped most of his taunting. If you would pay attention, you’ll see they’re doing mostly taijutsu with some kenjutsu in it. Kakashi’s gotten two strikes in at this point, even if he is slowing down.” While he spoke, his eyes never left the fight. “The only problem are the summons. I can’t see them. I don’t know what’s going on with them, but Shisui did warn him not to do it.”

“When is it going to end?” Naruto demanded, “When they’re too bloody and beaten to move? When Kakashi collapses of chakra exhaustion?” 

“I’d say it’s about to end,” Hatake said, cool as ever. He had lowered his book again. Sakura shot him a glare before looking back to the match. Shisui and Kakashi were a flash of blades and limbs, but beyond them, prowling out of the woods, was the tiger.

Byakko’s jaw and throat was slick with red blood. He strode forward, something hanging from his teeth. Shisui broke away from Kakashi, giving space for the tiger to walk into the middle of the fight. He opened his mouth and the two items dropped with a soft clank of metal against metal against dirt. “I believe,” he drawled, “these have a special significance to you humans? What were they again? A symbol of your allegiance to your village?” 

There was silence for a moment. Sakura pressed her fingers over her mouth to keep from crying out. 

The tiger swiped a paw at the two bloody hitai-ate. “Go on, mutt. Fetch the collars of your fallen and find their bodies in the woods.” Again, lips pulled back in the tiger’s smile, baring bloody fangs, “Or what remains of them.”

Sakura pressed her other hand over her first, swallowing the cry in her throat. Naruto had no qualms about expressing his grief or anger, though, shouting, “You bastard!” at the tiger. Sakura and Sasuke both grabbed his arms when he lurched forward. Those golden eyes turned towards Naruto and stared, unblinking, above a bloody maw.

Kakashi put away his weapons and said, “I forfeit.” 

“I accept.” Shisui nodded and then said, “Sorry.”  _ I did warn you,  _ hung unspoken in the air like ripe fruit hanging on the lowest branch of a tree. Kakashi turned away and vanished into the woods.

“I can’t believe you did that!” Naruto shouted. Sakura fought to drag him back. Sasuke struggled to put a hand over his mouth. Naruto fought against them both. “His ninken is like his family! They are precious to him! And you just  _ killed _ them in a friendly sparring match!”

Shisui watched him, his black eyes as unblinking as the golden ones of his tiger summon. He wiped his blade clean and sheathed it. “If you had summons, you’d understand that they’re not exactly something you control, kid. You bring them into a battle and they lend you their strengths. In this case, Byakko lent me his unflinching viciousness.”

“You could have summoned a different one!” Naruto took a step, dragging Sakura and Sasuke with him. “I have summons. I know you can have more than one in a contract!”

“Maybe some contracts,” Shisui said, “But not Byakko. He doesn’t share. Not his contract. Not his kills. Not his affection.” He stepped forward and placed a hand on the back of the tiger’s head, scratching behind an ear. Golden eyes half closed and Sakura could hear the purring from where she stood.

“You make me sick,” Naruto said, spitting out the words, “How dare you call yourself a Konoha shinobi. No true Konoha shinobi would turn on an ally, another ninja of their village like that! What’s wrong with you? How could you do that?”

In a blink, Hatake stood at Shisui’s side, half turned so his shoulder was to the three of them and he faced Shisui. “He certainly sounds like Naru-chan when he shouts like that. Goes on about loyalty like Minato-sensei too.”

“Yeah. He does.” Shisui sighed and the pitched his voice higher, calling out, “Oi, Sakura. I’ve got to go fulfill my side of the contract for Byakko here. We’ll just go find a bathhouse or something to clean him up. Maybe one of the Uchiha saunas?” 

“Wait, what?” She asked.

“You can’t use them,” Sasuke said.

“Can and will,” Shisui said with a cheery smile. “Please don’t try to stop us. I don’t want to have to go home and explain to Itachi how I had to break your leg so you’d stay out of our way. He’ll just pout and sulk and beat my face in.”

“And you,” Hatake said, gesturing with his book toward Sakura, “have a boyfriend to go comfort. Don’t worry about us. We won’t cause any trouble that doesn’t come crawling our way.”

“No!” Naruto shouted. “You don’t just get to walk away from this like you didn’t do anything!” His anger made his chakra uncoil. The weight of it was sharper, spiked with the bite of the kyuubi’s chakra. Sakura swallowed nervously. Glancing from her teammate towards Shisui and Hatake, she went stiff.

Their smiles were gone. Their postures suddenly tense. Hatake turned to face them.

“He’s the jinchuuriki?” Shisui said softly. “But how? Why?”

“No Minato-sensei,” Kakashi replied, “No Kushina? Who else would they give it to?”

Between one blink and the next, Shisui’s eyes were red with the sharingan. Naruto audibly snarled at him. “Shit,” Shisui said, louder, “What the  _ fuck  _ happened to this Konoha?” He gestured sharply towards the three of them as he spoke. “Sasuke’s a twitchy little fuck. Naruto’s got the fucking kyuubi in  _ his  _ gut and, let me guess, Sakura, you’re  _ not  _ the sanbi jinchuuriki?”

Remarkably, from his standing position, Naruto stumbled. 

Rather, what happened was Sakura’s hands went numb and let him go, letting him stagger a step forward, held back only by Sasuke on his other side. She blinked at Shisui. “The...what? I’m not a… Why would… How did that even… Where did your Konoha get the _ sanbi?” _

Hatake and Shisui shared a glance. Hatake shrugged. Shisui answered, “Nohara Rin. She was Kakashi’s teammate and got kidnapped. He and Uchiha Obito and Uzumaki Naho went after her. When they found out what had happened, Naho was able to use fuuinjutsu to stabilize the seal long enough for Minato-sama and the Uzumaki Clan head to fix it properly. Rin hated being a jinchuuriki, though. Finding a replacement wasn't easy,  and they spent over a decade doing it. They picked you two years ago and resealed the sanbi in you instead of her.”

“Minato-sensei helped,” Hatake added. “But it was mostly Sakuko-sama who took care of the sealing.” 

“Uzumaki...clan?” Naruto asked, bewildered. “What?” His confusion, to Sakura’s relief, overwhelmed his anger. 

“Not that this isn’t absolutely enthralling,” Byakko said suddenly, “But dog blood is drying on my fur and I have yet to be given my bath. I  _ want  _ my bath.”

Shisui jumped. “Ah! Right.” He waved a hand towards Sakura and her teammates. “Sorry kids. We’ll meet up for dinner, yeah? We’ve got to take care of Byakko for the next, uh, couple hours. Bye!” He smiled to the tiger, “This way, Byakko.” He took off with a leap. 

“Finally,” the tiger grumbled and followed in a bound.

Hatake lingered for a moment more. He met Sakura’s gaze and said, “Really. You should go to him. I know what it’s like to lose a ninken. He needs you more than we do.” Then he gave a jaunty wave and ran off.

For a moment, they stood there. Sakura swallowed, suddenly remembering the way Kakashi had looked, vanishing into the woods. Like a man chasing a ghost. “I’ve got to… He needs…” She looked to Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto turned away from her this time.

“Go ahead,” he muttered. “He needs someone and we’re not… you’re better at this kind of thing with Kakashi.”  _ You know him better than we do,  _ he didn’t say, but it was in the slump of his shoulder. 

Sakura squeezed his hand briefly before rushing into the woods after Kakashi. She wasn’t a tracker, but the trail was obvious and the damage left little to the imagination.

Byakko apparently had had no need for subtlety and it showed in the bloody undergrowth, broken branches, crushed bushes and deep claw marks in the trunks.

She found Kakashi kneeling beside two mangled bodies, his hands bloody in his hair, his body curled over, utterly silent as he shook violently with the force of his grief. Wordlessly, Sakura sank down to the ground beside him. The smell of blood and torn organs filled the air but she didn’t care, couldn’t care. She put one arm around Kakashi. 

He stiffened under her arm, but when she pulled him against her, he buried his face in the crook of his neck. She put her other arm around him and held him. With her cheek resting against his head, she wept the silent tears that he couldn’t manage to shed.

* * *

They’re not a minute away from the field, traveling by rooftop in the general direction of what should be the Uchiha District, when Kakashi bounded up to his side and hissed, “What the  _ fuck,  _ Shisui.”

Shisui shrugged a shoulder at him. “What? I warned him.”

“That wasn’t supposed to be a serious match,” Kakashi retorted. Shisui eyed him from the side because it sure sounded like he was pissed off. From the angle of his shoulders and the way his eye is focused on Shisui, not where they’re going, Shisui determined that yes. Kakashi was upset.

“It didn’t start that way, no.” Shisui frowned at him, “I didn’t mean for it to go that far at all.” He stopped on a tall roof, flat and paved. Someone had built a garden on the top and the greenery swayed in the breeze. Byakko landed nearby and eyes them, golden eyes curious. He loved a show, that one. Shisui put him out of his mind because entertaining Byakko now is the only way he’ll be spared the tiger’s whining about not getting to a bath soon enough for his tastes.

“And yet it did.” Kakashi stood away from him, one hand on a hip, the other at his side. He’s half turned to face another direction, looking like he’d rather have this conversation on the run.  __

Shisui won’t let him do that, though. They won’t say enough to each other if they’re running. If this is going to be a problem, a sore wound, between them, he wants to clean it out now. They can’t function, can’t survive, without being on the same page. “Haven’t you noticed it?” Shisui asks, gesturing to the village around them. “Haven’t you felt it, Kakashi? There’s something  _ off  _ about this place. There’s something wrong about it.” 

“Of course there is. It’s home but it isn’t. We’re in an alternate dimension, Shisui. Considering the fact that you figured that out first out of all of us I’d think you’d have a tendency to remember it the best, if only because our acknowledgment proves you right.” His tone is downright biting. His eye is narrowed and his knuckles are white where he rests his fist on his hip. “Just because it’s unsettling doesn’t mean you have to kill his dogs. In a  _ sparring match.” _

Shisui licks his lips. His pulse jumps. He shifts on his feet. This is a real argument. He’s not had one of those with Kakashi in far too long. A few feet away he hears Byakko settle onto the rooftop, heaving a great sight and staining the tile with blood. The tiger says nothing, though. He knows what’s likely to happen next. He knows how Shisui likes to resolve arguments.

“I gave him the warning. I told him explicitly what would happen. If he had been paying attention, not only to me but to Sasuke, who was acting judge, who had his Sharingan activated, he would have known it wasn’t a bluff. I don’t bluff about death.” Shisui took a step towards Kakashi. He kept his hands low, down at his sides, but opened them and turned them palm up.

_ “Don’t.”  _  Kakashi knows Shisui as well as Byakko does and he puts up a hand. “I want you to explain it to me  _ with your words. _ I know you warned him. I know he thought it was a bluff. I saw it. I saw you decide to summon Byakko  when you knew that his dogs would die. I want to know why you decided to kill them, Shisui. Explain to me why you chose to break him  _ that  _ way when your words were doing well enough to rile him up on their own.”

“It was because he was getting angry that he went to summon his dogs.” Shisui said but Kakashi cut him off by cutting his hand through the air.

“Your reason, Shisui. Give it to me.”

He opens his mouth to spit out a retort, but stops. Kakashi’s expression, for what little there is, is as closed off as Shisui has seen in a long time. He snaps his mouth shut and lets out an annoyed grunt. Frustrated, Shisui runs one hand through his hair. That’s not enough, though, so he runs both through the tangled mess and pulls. Kakashi is motionless, waiting, during this.

Finally, Shisui lets go of his hair and steps forward, throwing his hands wide, “He was trying to kill me! Did you see that part too? Did you see the senbon going for my pressure points? Did you see the doton that would have caught and snapped my leg? He had no reason to summon his dogs at all, especially not those two, especially not Bull.”

His voice rises and he can’t stop it because, as far as he can tell, they’re mostly alone and because these words, somewhere deep inside, frighten him. Because one Kakashi is like another and if  _ his _ Kakashi ever looked at him with the same sort of gaze that Hatake had given him beneath the smoke and behind the sparks, Shisui knows that dead dogs will be the least of his troubles. “My taunting pissed him off but instead of taunting back, instead of getting just, just, just  _ angry  _ at me he started trying to kill me! If I had been at all slower, if I had slipped or if I had chanced it and fought him  _ and  _ his dogs on my own-”

Shisui shakes his head. He turns away from Kakashi, running a hand over his mouth. It’s a terrifying thought. His stomach turns at the memory of that eye. He had gone into the spar thinking he’d poke fun at the old dog. He hadn’t expected such sharp canines to flash and bite back into him. He stared down at the ground, unseeing, as he admits his fear. Admits it without prompting because, were Itachi there, the third member to their trio, Itachi would ask him  _ What else, Shisui. What else is it?  _ Because he would know, know without Shisui saying so, that there was something more. Something deeper. 

Itachi wouldn’t stand for silence, not when it meant Shisui withheld information from him. Kakashi might have let it go there- No, Shisui knew he would have, but he would wonder and Shisui would never have as good a time to speak about this fear if he waited.

Swallowing, Shisui says, “I looked at him and I saw you. Not the you I spar against, with your knives and your poisons and your wit. But an older, harder you with a rough edge, like a piece of broken stone that would cut my hand if I tried to hold you. It was a you I didn’t know. A you who didn’t know me. A you who looked at me and didn’t see teammate or lover or even ally. He looked at me with your eye and all I saw was the face you wear when we go to war. 

“He was at war, Kakashi, and I was the enemy shinobi that had to die.”

This is no longer an argument. It is a confession. 

“I was afraid. Afraid he would succeed. You know how the saying goes… you have to be wary of the shinobi that makes it to their thirties. They’re the ones who know all the tricks. Hatake might have a grey muzzle, but his teeth are still sharp.” Shisui shivers and folds his arms over himself. “I’m lucky this one doesn’t play with poison. Who knows what kind of shit he would have given me.”

Shisui closes his eyes tightly when he feels Kakashi’s hand press against his spine, between his shoulder blades. “It didn’t look like he was winning,” are the murmured words, “When you were on the field, it looked like you were winning. You drew first blood. You were still grinning, still taunting. It didn’t look like you were taking it seriously until you summoned Byakko.”

“Yes, because showing fear to your enemy is the way you win at war,” Shisui sneered, sarcasm dripping from his words. He stepped away from Kakashi. He turned to face him, arms still over his chest. He dug his own fingers into his ribs. “What are you going to tell me I should have done? Surrender? As if he would have let it go? As if he wouldn’t look at me and know I was afraid? I don’t know what set him off like that. I don’t know if it was the breakfast conversation or the walk or the meeting with the Hokage or the fight itself!”

“Shisui-” 

“Why did he want to kill me so badly? Why? What did I do? Tell me!” 

“I don’t know.” Kakashi reached out again. His hand presses against the middle of Shisui’s chest and that’s how he realizes he’s leaning forward, his posture turned aggressive. Kakashi shakes his head, “I don’t know what you did or why he took it so seriously. _ I’m not him.  _ I have no fucking clue what goes through his head.” 

Shisui takes a shuddering breath. He works one hand free and puts it over top Kakashi’s. He squeezes Kakashi’s fingers tightly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to… I know you’re not…” His words fail him. Shisui can’t remember the last time he’d felt so honestly afraid and now that he’s admitted it, his body is shaking. “Sorry,” he whispers, ducking his chin down.

“Hey,” Kakashi murmurs. He leans in until his hitai-ate clinks against Shisui’s own. “Let’s get into that bath, huh? A nice long soak and a sauna and a big lunch and we’ll be good to go again. How does that sound?”

Shisui turns his head slightly, lifting his chin so he can press a kiss against Kakashi’s masked cheek. This earns him a soft chuckle and Kakashi pulling down his mask with a crooked finger. 

Kakashi’s mouth is as warm and eager as Shisui remembers it to be. He pushes into the kiss, desperate for the silent confirmation that his reason is acceptable and that Kakashi is at his side again. He can’t be at odds with his only tether to his home while stuck in this nightmare village. He’d go mad, or worse, if he lost Kakashi’s acceptance.

They’re both panting when Kakashi pulls back from the kiss. His lips are swollen and he laughs, low and throaty, as he pulls his mask back up. “Continue this in the sauna?”

_ “Please,”  _ Shisui says fervently. “C’mon. We’re pretty close already.”

Rolling his eye, Kakashi takes off the roof with a chakra enhanced leap. Shisui follows, ignoring the faint trembling in his arms. He just hears the sigh Byakko gives as the tiger joins them once more.

Kakashi lands first on the bathhouse roof in the center of the Uchiha district. Shisui landed a moment after him and has to reach out and catch him by the arm because the tile crumbles under the pressure of their feet, cracking like it’s dry and old and hasn’t seen any repair or tending in years.

Byakko lands on the ground in front of the house. His lithe body uncurls slowly from his crouch and he turns to regard the empty street.

Shisui, his fingers digging into Kakashi’s elbow, stares at the utterly empty compound.

“What the fuck?” He whispers. “What the  _ actual fuck?”  _

“This world is very peculiar,” Byakko’s voice rises up to them. “This place smells as though no one has walked these paths in years.” His ears flick back and forth. “I hear small animals that have taken up residency in the buildings, though. Rodents. A stray dog or two. A cat. Curious.”

“Kakashi,” Shisui chokes out his lover’s name. He shakes his arm. Kakashi steps closer until they’re shoulder to shoulder.

“Your cousin, Sasuke,” Kakashi murmurs, “He’ll know what happened here. He’ll have to know.”

Shisui says nothing. There is grass growing all over. Plants have taken over the Uchiha district. Roofs have begun to cave in. Windows are smashed. Doors open or missing. He leans harder against Kakashi’s side. 

“We’ll go somewhere else to clean Byakko up,” Kakashi’s voice is still soft. “There are bound to be shinobi and summons friendly places for that sort of thing. And we have some cash on us still.”

Shisui can’t look away. Where is the Uchiha clan?  _ Where is the Uchiha Clan?  _

“Hey.” Kakashi blocks his view with his own face. “Look at me.”

Blinking, Shisui sucks in a breath that rattles in his lung. Hatake tried to kill him. Did he, too, know what happened to the Uchiha clan? Why had none of them sought fit to tell him about this? Not even Sasuke had-

No. No. He had said they were going to an Uchiha bath house to clean up. Sasuke said they couldn’t use them. Not shouldn’t. Not that he would stop them. But can’t. Shisui saw now. He understood. There probably wasn’t any running water to these buildings, let alone towels or clothing or- or- or-

Kakashi shakes him and Shisui sees him. Finally sees him.

He reaches up, grips the front of Kakashi’s vest, and shakes him back. His fingers curl in the green and Shisui hisses, “They did this to my clan.” Everything is sharp, too sharp, sharingan sharp. His eyes  _ hurt _ and the pain reminds him not of overuse but of the time he got his Mangekyo. The loss of his clan hurts bad enough that, if he did not have it already, the final stage would have made his eyes bleed now. 

“They did,” Kakashi agrees. “Someone did.”

“They left these homes to  _ rot.”  _ Shisui’s knuckles go white with the strength of his grip. “This land is wasted. These homes are abandoned. My clan is gone and all this  _ fucking  _ village has done is left their empty homes on display. To be taken over by plants and strays and-”  He cuts himself off with a sharp noise of disgust.

Kakashi holds his gaze. Grey eyes to sharingan red. “What do you want to do about it?”

Shisui is silent. His rage leaves him mute. He shakes Kakashi again and, bless his lover, Kakashi accepts the rough treatment in silence. Shisui’s first response is to burn it down. Burn all of it down. The buildings, the walls, everything. To set a fire so hot and wild that it spreads to the village. That everyone burns and everyone dies.

He forces himself to take a breath and let it out slowly. He does this once, then twice, then three times more before he has a grip on himself as tight as the one he has on Kakashi. “This isn’t Konoha,” he whispers. “Not really. And maybe we can’t do what we usually do to a village like this- It would take too much time to set them to war with themselves. The people here are too tired.” Shisui had seen that clearly enough on their way to the Hokage’s Tower. People were rebuilding the village and had no time and energy to fight each other now.

“So we go to the secondary plan. If we can’t burn it down, we burn them out,” Kakashi murmured and Shisui wants to kiss him, wants to do more than kiss him, because they’re in sync now. They’re together. They’re unified. They can set a goal and do anything to attain it without destroying their bond. “We cut open new wounds along with whatever old ones we can find and  _ sow our seed.” _  He drops his tone at those words, giving them all the sordid meaning that such a sleazy plan deserves. 

Shisui laughs. It’s bright. Too bright. Almost unhinged. He excuses it though, because his entire clan has been murdered in this world and the village that was founded on their backs left their homes up as a warning, a mausoleum, to the world.  _ Here was our most loyal Clan. Here they lived. Here they died. We do not mourn them. We do not see them. We leave their bones to rot in the sun.  _ Shisui has seen villages do this before. He knows what it means.

“Yes,” he tells Kakashi, “Yes. We’ll leave our mark behind. They’ll never forget us or what they could have had. They’ll look at our children and never forget us.” He relaxes his grip. He runs his hands up, they circle Kakashi’s throat for a second before he slides them up to hold his boyfriend’s head in his hands. “How long, two weeks?”

“At least,” Kakashi murmured. “Considering the type of seal we stumbled on it shouldn’t be too hard to reverse. We’ll say the seal works with the moon’s cycle. They have no Uzumaki, it looks like, so they won’t know the difference anyway.”

“Oh Kakashi,” Shisui whispered, “You’re incredible.”

Kakashi’s eye crinkled and he tilted his head just a little. The mask is smooth against Shisui’s palms as his head moves. “Think you can put up with just me for two more weeks?”

“Of course,” Shisui replied instantly. “I  _ love _ you.”

Kakashi laughed softly. The tops of his ears are pink and he ducks his head instead of replying, but Shisui doesn’t mind. He doesn’t need the words to know how Kakashi feels.

They’re going to tear this hellish Konoha apart. Together. That is all Shisui needs to know to understand that Kakashi loves him too. 

“Whatever you want to do tonight in bed,” Shisui adds, eager and quick, “We’ll do it.”

Kakashi gives him a heated glance. “Good,” he says.

Well. It’s good to know Kakashi loves him, but it’s better still to feel that love. Shisui shivers in anticipation. “Tonight,” he promises.

“Shall we get started with the mission then?” Kakashi asks. 

With a nod, Shisui pulls away from him. 

Byakko chuckles from the ground below them, as pleased as any malevolently inclined tiger could be, and follows them again as they head out to find a  _ functioning _ bathhouse this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. It got serious.


	4. Spiteful Satisfaction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay. I had the fourth chapter written ages ago but, uh, there have been some changes (not just to storyline but headcanon stuff behind the scenes) so I had to rewrite it entirely. I might be taking a week or two off of this fic to so I can hammer out some stubborn details. In the meantime, enjoy this.

Akamaru growled softly the moment he and Kiba entered the changing room for the baths. One sniff told him that someone had come in bloody and someone else, or perhaps the same someone, had come in with a cat. A big one. 

_ A tiger,  _ he thought with a second sniff and then sneezed. Just then he saw the orange and white striped tail flipping in the corner of his eye. A tiger was curled up at the bottom of one of the shower stalls, the curtain pulled back on either side because it was caught on its flank and shoulder. It opened one golden eye to look at him and then gave a great heaving  _ wuff  _ before laying his head on its large paws.

Rolling his eyes, and urging Akamaru to leave the tiger alone with a ruffle of his fur, Kiba went to one of the lockers and began to strip. 

“F-fuck, Kakashi,” came a groan from behind the curtain. 

Kiba paused in pulling off his belt.  _ Kakashi? The fuck?  _ He peered back over at the shower and realized, for the first time, he couldn’t hear any water running. 

He hesitated only a moment before leaning back. Because of the tiger, he could see into the stall and, sure, peeping on other people showering was about as low as anything else but-

Well, Kiba had heard a whispered rumor that Something Was Up with Team Seven again, Kakashi included. If he had a chance to get a scoop on the gossip, that kind of information could get him a lot of traction. 

So he leaned back and he tilted his head to see who was in the shower, groaning Kakashi’s name like that and what they were up to.

The first thing that he saw was skin. Someone was pressed up against the wall of the shower stall, naked from shoulder to leg, with their neck bent forward so their head was out of view. They weren’t alone. There was a broad hand holding onto the hip, tanned against the pale skin, and someone’s head was right at that same level.

Kiba’s breath caught as he realized that wasn’t just  _ someone’s  _ head, it was Kakashi’s. Kakashi with his damp grey hair hanging half in his face. Kakashi without his mask or his hitai-ate on, his sharingan red eye looking upwards. Kakashi with his mouth open, his pink tongue licking the underside of some stranger’s dick. Kakashi  _ with a dick in his mouth,  _ sucking on it.

Kakashi with his eyes now on Kiba, making eye contact, staring at Kiba as he swallowed another man’s dick down his throat. 

“Fuck yes,” the stranger groaned. “God,  _ Kakashi,  _ you’re amazing.” 

Kakashi winked his sharingan eye at Kiba as he drew back and went back to licking. Kiba swallowed hard. Absently, his eyes picked up the fact that Kakashi had a small spot by the corner of his mouth like a beauty mark. They also noticed that his teeth seemed to be sharper than they should be, so whoever it was that was getting the blowjob had some incredible trust.

Or Kakashi had some incredible skill in giving a blowjob with teeth that dangerous.

He stared, unblinking, as Kakashi continued, sucking and licking by turns until the other man’s back was arching off the wall. Kiba saw a hand gripping Kakashi by the hair, tugging on it as that voice grew louder and more shameless with its moaning. 

He couldn’t take his eyes off of Kakashi’s face, even when Kakashi started looking back at whomever it was he was with. He didn’t recognize the voice at all, which meant Kiba had to get a look at their face to see who it was. He knew all of the chuunin his own age and several dozen jounin because of hanging around with others of his year who’d graduated up, but he didn’t know everyone, not yet. 

So he tore his eyes up from Kakashi’s throat, from his swollen lips, from his very red tongue, and made himself look again at the other person’s head. 

They were leaning back now, their hips off the wall and their shoulders pressed into it. He saw messy black hair, wet from the shower they must have taken, plastered to his head. His mouth was open, his face flushed from his cheek to his throat, and his eyes--

His eyes were red. They were red and, fuck, he was looking back at Kiba-

The man reached up for the curtain with a trembling hand. Kiba’s grip on his own belt tightened as he realized he’d been caught not only by Kakashi but the stranger he was giving a blowjob too. Shit.  _ Shit.  _ That was not good- They were clearly jounin and he was gonna be in some deep shit for this-

But then he noticed that the curtain hadn’t been pulled  _ shut  _ by the stranger. In fact, he’d tugged it open further, giving Kiba a clear view of how Kakashi knelt on the concrete floor, his body dripping with water, tattoos visible on his arm and, fuck, fuck, fuck-

Kakashi’s other hand was down between his own legs, slowly stroking his own cock as he sucked the one in his mouth. 

Kiba lifted up a hand to cover his mouth that had dropped open. He wasn’t sure if it was to keep himself from speaking or from moaning or from what, but he had to do it. 

“C’mon Kakashi,” the stranger said, “Make it a good show, yeah?” He was looking down again, his hair hanging in his face. 

Kakashi’s pulled back, letting the man’s dick out of his mouth with a  _ pop,  _ “Pervert,” He said, his voice husky and low. A shiver ran down Kiba’s spine at his tone. “What am I gonna do with you?”

The other man laughed, though it sounded breathless, even when Kakashi bared his teeth at him. Kiba put his other hand over his first because fuck, that wasn’t just sharp teeth, those were canines like his own. Kakashi’s teeth were wolfish in their sharpness and shape. 

“Treat me kindly?” the man asked, “Let me come on your face.” 

“You really are a pervert,” Kakashi said. He laughed softly. “Mind the eyes, Shisui.” He stroked Shisui’s cock with one hand, lipping down the underside in half-hearted kisses. 

“Oh,  _ always,”   _ Shisui says. 

Kiba swallows with a tight throat as he watches them continue. He’s vaguely aware that Akamaru is nudging his hip with his head and, with that same vagueness, knows that if he ignores his companion long enough he’s going to get bitten for it. He shouldn’t be watching this- He’s a pervert himself for doing that, for just staring at them-

But Shisui did pull open the curtain. And Kakashi didn’t get upset about it.

It’s almost as if they want him to watch. 

_ Scratch that,  _ Kiba thinks as he meets Kakashi’s gaze  _ again. They absolutely want me to watch. Fuck. Are they getting off on that? Like, is that their thing? _

When Shisui comes, and comes on Kakashi’s open mouth and cheek, Kiba’s face is burning up. He’s not sure if it’s more because of the way he’s turned on from watching them or from the fact that he’s got a twist of shame in his gut  _ from watching them  _ like some peeping tom. Either way, he turns away and leans against the locker in front of himself, staring into it. “What the fuck,” he whispered. “What the fuck?”

His heart is pounding so hard in his ears he doesn’t hear footsteps approaching him until there’s a tap to his shoulder. Kiba whirls around, eyes wide, cheeks even more red, and realizes he’s face to face with the stranger. The stranger whose name is apparently Shisui. The stranger who just had his dick in Kakashi’s mouth.

The stranger who has a charming smile and a face that anyone would kill to touch, let alone have themselves. He’s handsome, unfairly so, unbelievably so, and Kiba is going to memorize that face to show off in a henge someday, if only as proof to show he saw it. 

“Hey,” Shisui says, giving a little wave. “Inuzuka, right?”

Kiba nods. He’s going to swallow his tongue so he doesn’t say something stupid. 

“Nice to meet you.” Shisui looks down at Akamaru at his side. “This is your companion?”

Kiba swallows. “Akamaru.”

Shisui crouches down to Akamaru’s eye level.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, if Kiba were to ask his libido) that puts his head right at Kiba’s waist height. He automatically takes a step back, because he’s aware of just how hard he is and, really, he shouldn’t be sticking his dick in some guy’s face. Shisui doesn’t seem to even notice his movement. His hand is out to Akamaru, palm up, and he’s smiling. “Hello Akamaru. My name is Shisui.”

Akamaru barks and puts his paw in Shisui’s palm. His tail gives a couple of thumps, showing his approval. Shisui lifts up his other hand, hovering it above Akamaru’s head, between his ears. “May I?”

Akamaru’s mouth opens in a pant as he presses his head against Shisui’s hand. Shisui pets a few times and then scratches behind his ears. He laughs and it’s bright, friendly. Charming, too, just like the rest of him. “Thank you,” Shisui says as he takes his hand back. He glances up to Kiba and says, smiling, “You’ve got a rather silly human partner, Akamaru.” 

Kiba locks his knees to keep from moving as Akamaru does his impression of human laughter. Shisui is attractive, friendly and has already won over Akamaru with a good head scratch and purposeful acknowledgement. Kiba is done for. Goodbye sense, it is gone. He has fallen in love with a stranger in a shower who is probably already involved with fucking Kakashi of all people. 

He never thought he’d lose his heart in such a situation, but, fuck, Kiba didn’t think he’d fall for a guy in the first place.

Shisui stands back up, resting one hand on his hip, and asks, “What’s your name?”

“Kiba.” Shit. He should not have checked for Shisui’s hands. It’s a good habit to have as a ninja, but unless Shisui’s got invisible pockets on invisible clothes filled with invisible weapons, the only danger that Kiba is in will be from the other man’s charming smile. 

_ And his eyes,  _ Kiba’s instinct reminds him.  _ His eyes were red earlier and now they’re black.  _

“Nice to meet you too, Kiba,” Shisui murmurs, leaning in slightly. He reaches up with one hand and presses a fingertip to Kiba’s sternum. Slowly, he walks his fingers down Kiba’s bare chest to his navel. “Have you got any plans after you’re done in the bath?” 

“Lunch.” Kiba is so proud of himself. He is managing to answer Shisui’s questions. It’s almost like they’re having a conversation. 

Each one of Shisui’s fingertips is hot against his skin. He breaks out in shivers when Shisui’s finger trails a circle around his navel. His toes curl in his shoes. He’s still half-dressed, after all, still caught somewhere between unable to move and unwilling to move. 

“Ooh,” Shisui smiles, “That sounds good. I haven’t had lunch yet. Do you mind if I come?”

“Sure,” Kiba says, “You can come.” He instantly bites his lip. Fuck. Did he just say that? Did he really just say that? But Shisui laughs at his slip of the tongue like it was done on purpose.

Shisui’s fingers are at the waist of his pants. They trace along the edge and Kiba feels the hair rise on his arms, on the back of his neck. His breath catches in his throat. “Would you mind treating me to lunch? I seem to have run into a trouble, you see, and I’m a little hard up for cash.” 

“Sure,” Kiba repeats himself. “I don’t mind.”

“Thanks,” Shisui says. He leans in. “I owe you one,” Shisui whispers into his ear before pressing a kiss to his cheek. Simultaneously, his hand pulls down and away, his fingers just brushing along the top edge of Kiba’s clothed dick. 

“F-fuck,” Kiba whispers as Shisui steps back and carelessly tosses him another grin. He beckons to the tiger with one hand, striding out of the changing room and into the main bath area as though he hadn’t done a single goddamn thing. The tiger followed him, chuckling, and gives Kiba an unfairly smug look. Yeah. That’s definitely Shisui’s fucking summon.

“Yo, Kiba.”

Kiba’s heart jumps again as he turns to see Kakashi. The grey haired shinobi is standing in the shower still, leaning against the side with one arm behind his head and the other hand on the curtain. Kiba can see a different tattoo on his chest, now, and both hates and loves the way he’s been trained to check bodies automatically for danger. He instantly looks Kakashi over, notes that he’s just as naked as Shisui, just as fit as Shisui, and that he’s no longer hard. 

“Uh, yeah? Kakashi-sensei?” Kiba asks, feeling like he’s twelve all over again. 

“None a that now,” Kakashi says, “I’m a different Kakashi than the one you know. Younger, for one, and way better too.”

“Sure,” Kiba has no idea what he means. “Okay.” Hopefully someone will explain this to him when he can think of something other than the way Kakashi’s mouth had looked around Shisui’s dick. 

Fuck. Kakashi still wasn’t wearing his mask. He had his left eye closed, but otherwise his face was completely bare, completely exposed. 

He was hot too. A different sort of hot than Shisui, but since this is the first time Kiba’s ever seen his face, it’s just as intense as Shisui’s good looks. 

“You need a little help with that?” Kakashi’s got a half smile on his lips. He lets go of the curtain to gesture to Kiba’s lower half.

“I can undress myself,” Kiba retorts. Honestly. Just because he feels young doesn’t mean he  _ is.  _

“Not exactly what I was talking about,” Kakashi says. “But if you want to hurry up and strip, I can help you with that  _ other  _ little problem you’ve got.” His smile turns into a full grin and his one open eye half closes. “Although, I’m kinda hoping it’s not quite so little.”

It’s proof of how scattered his thoughts are that it takes Kiba nearly a minute to realize that Kakashi is  _ propositioning him  _ for sex in the shower. “I- Are you sure? I mean- That guy- What about Shisui?”

“Consider it karma,” Kakashi says. “He got you all hot and bothered, yeah? So it’s his fault you’re in this position. Think of me as retribution for him walking away on you like that.”

“I-” Kiba stops himself from saying,  _ I really can’t do that.  _ He thinks about it. He  _ really  _ thinks about it. 

Clearly, he takes too long for Kakashi, because the older shinobi says offhandedly, “C’mon, Kiba. We can even make it a fair trade. You buy me lunch. I’ll suck your cock. I promise Shisui won’t be upset.” 

“Shit,” Kiba whispers. He glances down to Akamaru, because, really, he can’t be making any sort of rational decision anymore. There’s not an ounce of blood in his skull. 

Akamaru rolls his eyes and turns to walk away and get into the bath himself.  _ Join me when you’re done,  _ is written in the line of his shoulders and the swish of his tail. Looking back at Kakashi, Kiba began to undo his belt.

* * *

Kakashi walks with his hands tucked lightly into his pockets, enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun as he walks beside Kiba down the street. Well, almost beside. Akamaru is between them, with Kiba’s hand resting on the back of his head. He gestures with his other hand as he goes into some of the juicier gossip of the village.

“...which put off the whole exam by a month, just because of the paperwork alone.” Kiba laughed, “Seriously though, they never tell you in the academy that the biggest problem you have to deal with as a shinobi is fucking paperwork. I would have worked so much harder on my tests if I had known.”

Kakashi chuckled along with him. “I’ve had to help my sensei with some of his paperwork from time to time. I tell you, I do not  _ ever  _ want to become a professor. Sensei gets more papercuts in a week than I see in three years. He spends more time at a desk than students do, it’s really sad.”

“Your sensei’s a professor?” Kiba asked, “I didn’t realize he was so old.”

“Old?” Kakashi asked, “Minato-sensei? God no. He’s Naruto’s dad, after all. He just really, really enjoys teaching. You know? So he’s one of our later year instructors, to help genin get to chuunin level. He’s particularly good at helping people find their specialties. Something about him just...draws out the best in you.” 

Kiba gave a whistle of appreciation. “Really? I wish I could have met him. Or could meet him, I guess. Since he’s still alive in your world.” He scratched at the back of his head, glancing away from Kakashi. “Oh. Hey. This is the place.” 

He gestured to the restaurant in front of them. It wasn’t a particularly big place and Kakashi didn’t recognize it from his world. It smelled like barbecue, though, and his mouth began to water. Really, after all the excitement, he was pretty damn hungry. 

“Eh?” Kiba said, looking around, “Where’d Shisui go?”

“Oh him?” Kakashi answered, heading towards the restaurant. “He got distracted by an exposed midriff a block back. He’ll catch up when he’s ready.”

“Wait… seriously?” Kiba asked. “How did I miss that? And whose midriff?” He followed Kakashi into the restaurant. 

Kakashi shrugged. “Dunno. Just gave me his ‘I’m gonna get their address’ look and fucked off. Don’t worry about him. He can take care of himself.”

Kiba flushed at those words but agreed. “Shino and Hinata should be here already,” he said instead, taking the lead and walking through the restaurant. “Maybe some of the others,” he glanced to Kakashi, “if we’re lucky. Or they are.”

“Hey guys!” Kiba grinned as he reached the table. Akamaru trotted up to the Hyuuga girl sitting there and stuck his face in her lap. She patted him and greeted him while the others at the table looked around Kiba to Kakashi. 

He had to grin under his mask at the spread. There was the Hyuuga girl, Hinata if Kakashi remembered right, and on one side was probably Shino, wearing shades and a heavy coat. That would be the Aburame then, if the buzzing coming from him was any indication. 

Across the table from them was an immensely sour faced Naruto, scowling and glaring and perhaps even pouting as he saw Kakashi standing behind Kiba. What a wonderfully expressive face he had, as though no one had ever taught him hiding his emotions could help. Sitting next to him was Sasuke, his eyes narrowed, looking past Kakashi even, clearly searching for Shisui. 

Kiba gestured to Kakashi. “Guys, you all know this is Kakashi. Except it isn’t Kakashi. He’s from an alternate world because of a crazy jutsu or something. Anyway, I’m buying him lunch so I thought he could join us.”

Naruto stood up, slamming his fist on the table, “Where the hell is your partner, huh?”

Kakashi stepped forward, lifting a placating hand, “Now, now, we’re in a restaurant so could you keep it down a bit? There’s no need to shout if you want to know where Shisui is. He’s going to join us as soon as he’s done making friends. He saw a cute belly button on the way here and had to stop and introduce himself.”

Kiba sighed, “Yeah, Naruto, calm down.” He drew out a chair and sat down on Hinata’s other side. “Why are you here anyway?” He glanced to his female teammate, “Did you invite him?” 

Hinata blushed, “I- I saw him going to lunch and it just slipped out. Sorry Kiba. I know this is usually a team thing…”

“I don’t think Kiba will mind,” Shino said quietly. “Why? He brought his own companions as well.” 

Kakashi took the seat at the end of the table, leaving the last spare seat for Shisui. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his foot over his knee. His fingers itched for his book, but he wanted to save that cover for later. Instead, he picked up one of the menus, nodding to Hinata when she slid it towards him.

Naruto gave him another frown before turning to Kiba. “I can’t believe you’re hanging out with those two. Don’t you have any idea who they are? They’re bad dudes, Kiba.”

Kiba frowned. “Look, Naruto, they’re running around Konoha without any guards or even anyone minding after them like  _ some  _ people here,” he shot a glance towards Sasuke, who sniffed but said nothing, “So clearly they’re not as bad a pair as you think, okay? Besides, they’ve been friendly to both me and Akamaru-”

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Naruto interrupted, “You shouldn’t hang out with them because Akamaru won’t be safe. They’re dog killers, Kiba.”

“Hey now,” Kakashi said. He closed his menu and tapped it against the table. “We are many things, but not dog killers. You’re confusing Shisui with Byakko. Byakko is Shisui’s  _ summon.”  _

“Isn’t a shinobi responsible for the actions of their summon?” Hinata asked, frowning slightly. “If he brings them into battle, he should accept that responsibility and be held accountable for it.” 

Kakashi shrugged, “Then it’s Hatake’s fault for bringing in the dogs in the first place. Shisui warned him what would happen. Shisui wasn’t bluffing.” He set his menu down and slid it back towards Hinata, meeting her gaze as he said, “He threatened Hatake’s dogs and Hatake chose to send them out anyway.”

Kiba’s fist tightened on the table. He looked from Kakashi to Naruto, “Is that true? Did Kakashi know what was going to happen to his dogs when he summoned them?”

“Why were they even fighting?” Hinata whispered, but her words were talked over by Naruto.

“How was he to know Shisui wasn’t bluffing?” Naruto said loudly, “He could have been!”

“He wasn’t,” Sasuke cut in, his voice hard. He was leaning his elbows on the table. Kakashi almost clucked his tongue at the posture. Itachi would have hated to see him sitting like that. “I even said so at the time.”

“Sasuke-” Naruto started.

“Kakashi!” came a shout from behind Kakashi.

He turned to see who it was, already smiling a little under the mask. There was Shisui and he wasn’t alone. His ever cheerful boyfriend had found some other young man with remarkably pale skin and dark hair. Said stranger was smiling faintly and lifted a hand in greeting. His other hand was held in Shisui’s grip, though that quickly changed as Shisui took him by the shoulders and ushered him to stand in front of Kakashi. “Look!” Shisui said gleefully, “Look who I found! Guess! Guess who it is!”

Kakashi sighed. He looked the stranger up and down several times. Dark clothes, midriff outfit, definitely a shinobi with that stance and those shoes, armed, smiling, pale, and appallingly comfortable with the way Shisui was draping himself over his shoulders. 

“He looks like one of your cousins, but you have a million of those so I couldn’t ever guess.”

“Kakashi!” Shisui sounded wounded. He hugged the stranger more, his hands sliding low to settle on pale hips. “How could you not recognize him! He’s practically a little brother to you, considering all the time you spend over at Obito’s!”

Kakashi cocked his head to the side and looked at the man’s smiling face one more time, more carefully. “...Kensai?”

“Bingo!” Shisui cried. “It’s Kensai! Except he’s just Sai here. How weird is that?”

“Sai!” Naruto shouted. “What are you  _ doing?”  _

“Standing,” Sai said dryly. “Being introduced to Kakashi again.” He turned his head slightly to look at Shisui out of the corner of his eye, “This is the young one, correct? The one that accompanied you to our world?”

“Yup!” Shisui laughed, “You’re pretty smart, Sai. But I should expect that from a genius like you. It runs in the family, after all.” 

“Sai!” Naruto tried again, “You’re just- He’s touching you so much! Are you really okay with that?”

“We are bonding through skinship,” Sai said. “It is a type of bonding through physical contact, such as holding hands or hugging. Shisui is very adept at bonding.”

Kakashi snorted. “He practices skinship at every available opportunity,” he added, glancing to Kiba. Kiba flushed and coughed into his fist, drawing a curious look from his teammates. Naruto, however, was more preoccupied with Sai and Shisui to notice. 

“You don’t want to be bonding with that guy,” Naruto said, “He’s awful.”

Kakashi sighed, “Are we going to have the same fucking conversation again, kid? Can’t you just sit down and order some food to eat? Fuck. You’re so annoying.” 

Naruto glared at him, “You’re the one who-”

“Why are you even here, anyway?” Shisui asked. “Who invited you?”

Kakashi was not the only one to glance to Hinata, but Sai was the one who said something. “Most likely Hyuuga-san. Her attempts to bond with Naruto are a common occurrence, despite her lack of success. After all, the only one dickless wants to bond with is the traitor.”

Kakashi almost closed his eyes to savor that sweet moment of shocked silence. He couldn’t tell who did it better, Naruto with his mouth hanging open, Hinata with her cheeks as red as a beet and her gaze stuck to the table or Shisui and his eyes wide, his knuckles turning white where he held Sai. 

“Congratulations, Kiba,” Shino said into that silence, “You have somehow achieved to create an even more awkward lunch than your attempt at matchmaking last December.”

“I didn’t do this!” Kiba hissed, “I only invited those two, not Sai! Not even Naruto or Sasuke!”

“Sai,” Shisui said, “Don’t take this the wrong way but right now you’re going to have some bonding time with Kakashi, okay?” He lifted a hand to pat Sai on the cheek, “I’m not angry that you called Sasuke a traitor, but I’ve got to interrogate him to find out why, okay?”

“It’s because he abandoned the village,” Sai remarked, even as Shisui ushered him forward, towards Kakashi. “He just got off house arrest a month ago.” 

“Sit, Sai. Kakashi, hold him. Now bond.” Shisui pushed and Kakashi sighed heavily. He shifted his legs so Sai could sit on his lap more comfortably. 

“Why do I have to bond with Sai?” Kakashi grumbled, “He’s your fucking cousin.” Even still, he put his arms around Sai’s waist. Sai sat still for a moment and then cocked a head, looking down at him. 

“You seem similar to our own Kakashi in appearance, but not so much in temperament. He would not agree to such forcible bonding. He is adverse to such connections, especially at someone else’s insistence.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Kakashi put his chin on Sai’s shoulder. “If you’re implying that Shisui has me whipped I’ll have you know that it is neither him nor I that enjoy getting whipped. That would be Itachi.”

Sai paused in reaching for the menu, “Itachi? Really?”

While they had been speaking, Shisui took the chair from the other end of the table and dragged it around to the spot between Kakashi and Sasuke. Naruto had swallowed his complaints and the waitress had showed up to finally start taking orders. 

Of course, the moment Kakashi said the word “Itachi” what little there was of the conversation ground to a halt. Even the waitress stopped, her eyes widening at the sight of the shinobi at the end of the table. 

Kakashi glanced up to her and then around the table. “Oh. Right. Hatake was acting like that was a taboo word.” 

Kiba leaned forward. He gave a shifty glance towards Sasuke, but he was staring blankly at the table, utterly silent, lips pressed into a thin line. “Did… Did I just hear you right? Did you say Itachi likes to be whipped?”

Sasuke’s chair screeched on the floor as he stood sharply. He opened his mouth to say something, but his gaze fell on Shisui. Kakashi moved his head to try and see Shisui’s expression, but the angle was wrong. If he had to guess, though, Shisui was looking up at Sasuke, mouthing the words  _ ‘we’ll talk later’  _ to him. Sasuke gave the briefest of nods to Shisui and then turned his back to the table.

Without a word to anyone, Sasuke walked away. 

Naruto waited ten seconds before hurrying to his feet and going after his teammate, “Sasuke! Sasuke wait up!”

“Well,” Shisui said.

“...at least he didn’t order already,” Kiba muttered. Shino nodded to that. Then the Inuzuka glanced to Hinata and said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to, uh, cause such a scene with Naruto.”

“No it’s…” She sighed. “It’s fine. He probably...Won’t remember I asked him to join us anyway.”

Sai said, “Brainless would be a good name for him, if dickless wasn’t so much more suitable.” 

Shisui snorted. 

“Sai,” Kiba said with a groan, “You can have one of their seats, now. You don’t have to stay there.”

Kakashi tightened his grip around Sai’s waist. “He’s fine where he is,” he said, “Thanks for the offer, though.”

When Shisui arched an eyebrow, Kakashi muttered, “He smells good.” 

“Well then,” Shisui said, clapping his hands together and distracting the other two. “What’s good here? I’ve never been to this place.” 

“What do you like to eat?” Kiba asked, flipping open the menu. “This place has everything.”

“Meat,” Shisui said absently, “But you’re buying, Kiba, so go ahead and order whatever. If it comes out of a kitchen that smells this good, it’s gotta be delicious.” 

Kiba looked to his team and then shrugged. The waitress took their orders, still glancing up at the table a little nervously, or something. Kakashi didn’t much care. The menu was taken away so he kept his hands busy by stroking Sai’s sides. His skin was surprisingly soft, considering it’s exposure to the elements. 

Shisui took up the conversation with a gusto, asking Kiba and his team, who turned out to have been numbered Team Eight, about their genin days and their sensei. Kakashi watched as the tension melted out of Hinata’s shoulders and Kiba started gesturing broadly, throwing himself into the discussion wholeheartedly. Even Shino responded, giving a dry chuckle once or twice, usually at Kiba’s expense. 

Sai was silent, leaning back against Kakashi’s chest. After Shisui told a joke that made Hinata laugh so hard she had to gasp for breath, he turned his head enough and murmured so only Kakashi could hear. “Isn’t this the first time he’s met these three?”

“It is,” Kakashi replied, just as softly, not wanting to interrupt Kiba’s story. 

“Is he always so adept at social interaction?” Sai asked.

Kakashi nodded. 

“Surprising,” Sai said. One of his hands settled on the back of Kakashi’s, where it lingered at his abdomen. Sai’s other hand was on the table, while Kakashi’s other hand moved, slowly, up and down his side. 

“Why is that?” 

“His only genuine smiles are the ones he directs to you, Kakashi-senpai.” Sai explained. “Is he upset about something?”

“...you’re damn perceptive,” Kakashi muttered. 

“I pay attention,” Sai shrugged a shoulder. “For most people, everything is telegraphed in their face and body language.”

“Most people, hm?”

“Yes. Some are more naturally neutral in their expressions while others have that taught to them. Unless Shisui were to strip himself of emotion, he’ll always show a little bit of something.” Sai said, “And then he would be unusual because of his lack of expression.”

“Oi!” Shisui snapped, interjecting himself into their conversation. He leaned an elbow on the table, lifting a brow at them, “I heard my name. What are you two saying about me?”

“I was just asking Sai what kind of incentive you gave him to come to lunch with him if you were going to spend the whole time ignoring him.” 

“I’m not ignoring him,” Shisui denied, “I’m just getting to know these three! They’re pretty interesting, you know? Like Hinata-chan here. She’s the Hyuuga heiress in this world, Kakashi. Did you know that?”

“I did not,” Kakashi said. “Is that what you’re doing? Comparing Konohas?”

“Well,” Shisui said, “They said Kurenai is their sensei. Can you believe that? Kurenai got some genin kids!”

“I can see it,” Kakashi replied. “She’s not a bad leader even if she’s more a genjutsu type. And she’d be a pretty good match for this set.”

The food came then, the waitress bringing it by on a large platter. Shisui got distracted from his conversation with Kakashi by the spread. Kakashi rolled his eye, knowing that for every bit of information Kiba was getting from Shisui, Shisui was getting just as much or more. Two gossip hounds at one table only meant endless discussion.

Kakashi pulled down his mask with one hand and said to Sai, “Feed me.”

Sai looked at him and paused. Kakashi watched dark eyes take in his face, first quickly and then slower, memorizing it. He quirks a half smile and opens his mouth, “Feeeed. Meee.”

“Yes, senpai,” Sai says. He takes up a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. He’s got a little smile of his own, one that’s about as warm as a winter morning and nothing like the broad one Shisui is giving Kiba at the same time. Kakashi likes it anyway. 

It’s entertaining to have Sai feed him, and not just because Sai is eating from the same chopsticks and they’re sharing all their food. Hinata keeps sneaking glances over, as though she’s afraid Kakashi will catch her looking and be annoyed. Shino is more obvious in his looking. He turns, stares for a bit, and then goes back to his own food as though he’s seen enough. 

They’re not the only ones staring, either. Other patrons around them are peeking over. They have been off and on since Naruto’s shouting and the sullen exit of Sasuke, but now they’re staring even more and whispering. Kakashi licks sauce off of his lips and then pointedly  nuzzles Sai’s neck. The younger man wears a high collar to his shirt, so Kakashi has to place a kiss a little higher than he’d like, up near his jaw.

The whispering around them gets louder. 

Sai pauses in feeding him while Kakashi nips at his skin, patient and quiet. When Kakashi opens his mouth to eat again, he catches Shisui’s glance.

Shisui smiles, narrow and slight, one of his dagger smiles. Sai shifts in Kakashi’s lap, probably because Kakashi tightens his grip around his waist to keep himself from reaching for Shisui. “He’s a lot like Itachi, isn’t he?”

“Mhm,” Kakashi nodded. 

“What is Itachi like?” Kiba asked. “I mean, you mentioned the, uh, whipping thing, but what else? Personality wise, I mean.”

“He’s an absolutely gorgeous and utterly arrogant asshole,” Shisui said, startling some laughter out of Hinata. She covered her mouth with her hand, flushing. Shisui only continued, saying, “He’s been called a genius since he was a kid, right? And the thing is, he really is a genius. He’s smart and tactical and clever with his skills and traps.”

“He’s fast too,” Kakashi said, swallowing another mouthful. “His stamina isn’t as good as someone like Shisui, but Itachi can be quicker when it counts.”

“And he always knows when it counts,” Shisui said. “Seriously, he’s better than everyone in looks and brains and skills and  _ knows it.  _ He’d be a monster if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s better at caring for people too. Do you know how many wounded animals he’s nursed back to health?”

“Not to mention how much he spoils his family. Especially Sasuke,” Kakashi added. “He’s taken time off from missions just to help Sasuke with some of his training goals.”

“Sasuke is _ eleven.” _ Shisui stressed. “Itachi doesn’t take time off from missions for anyone else. Not even himself.”

“Runs himself ragged.”

“Right down to the bone.”

“Which makes him all the more desperate for stress relief, really.”

“God, he’s going to be  _ so  _ wound up when we get back home.”

Shisui stared at Kakashi. Kakashi grinned back at him. “Should we plan on a week’s vacation when we get back?”

“Make it two. It’s already been two months since we’ve seen each other.”

Kakashi sighed and hugged Sai tighter. “Yeah… two weeks sounds good. We’ll spend them at my place so no one can come bother us, not even the twerps.”

There was silence after this. Sai broke it, saying thoughtfully, “So… Beautiful, arrogant genius, huh? That’s what Itachi is like?”

“With a heart of gold,” Shisui nodded. “And a mouth like a whore.”

Nearly spitting, Kiba clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from making a mess. Hinata went red. Even Shino’s ears turned pink. 

“Wh-” Kiba coughed, swallowing the water hard, “What was that?”

Shisui picked up his glass, swirling the drink around and around as he pouted. “Kakashi is no slouch when it comes to blowjobs, certainly, but Itachi’s technique can leave a man unable to move afterwards.”

Hinata’s hand half rose to her mouth before freezing in place. Her mouth hung open, her eyes wide. Kiba glanced to her, his cheeks burning. “Could you not…?” he started, wincing when he saw Shisui’s face take on a serious expression. “Oh god, what have I done,” he muttered into his hand.

Shisui leaned across the table and took Hinata’s hand. He lowered it for her, setting it back on the table. “If it’s that embarrassing for you, Hinata-chan, I’ll stop. I apologize. I tend to forget myself sometimes.” He pat the back of her hand, his touch lingering over her knuckles. “It’s that your company is so comforting. I can forget that I’m away from my home sitting here with you.”

“O-oh,” She whispered. “That’s- Um- Really- I-” 

“Why don’t we talk about something else?” Shisui asked, “Let me tell you a little about Kurenai from our world, huh? She’s such a troublemaker, really. See, this one time…” Shisui drew his hand back, gesturing as he told the story. Hinata’s embarrassed flush eased as he spoke.

Kakashi watched in silence, opening his mouth only so Sai could feed him. When he got full, he tugged his mask back into place. “Sai,” he murmured, “lean forward a bit.”

Sai did so, resting an elbow on the table as he moved. Kakashi took the opportunity to slide his hand over Sai’s bare back while he reached into the pouch at his own back for his book. Settling back in his chair, he flipped it back open to where he was and began to read. Sai leaned back and looked down. “What’s this? No Icha Icha?”

“Icha what?” Kakashi asked, eyes on the page.

“It’s that porn that native Kakashi reads,” Sai said. “I believe the volumes were written by Jiraiya. Kakashi carries one with him at all times to read from. He really likes those books.”

“Oh really,” Kakashi said, turning the page. “Good to know Jiraiya kept his hand at writing in both worlds.”

“This is not his book?” Sai turned his head to catch a look at the title. “I’ve not heard of this book.”

“It’s a one of a kind,” Kakashi said. “Well, I guess one of three. There were only three published by the Uchiha, as it’s, technically, a private Uchiha clan literature book.” He chuckled and flipped it closed. “Here. You can read this.”

Sai took the book. “I am not an Uchiha. Would this not be something for Sasuke to read?”

“He can read it too, if he wants to. But if you’re really the adult version of Kensai, then this book is part of your clan too.”

Sai stopped in his examination of the book to look at Kakashi. His face was completely impassive, not even with a hint of a false smile. “You are serious. You believe I am an Uchiha.”

Kakashi shrugged a shoulder. Belief wasn’t necessary when there was knowledge. The sky would be blue whether or not he believed it was. Sai, if he really was Kensai, was an Uchiha by birth whether or not Kakashi believed it. “Surprised?”

Sai laughed. Sai smiled. Kakashi blinked because, as far as he could tell, that was a fairly true smile on his features. “This must be what they call spiteful satisfaction.” He laughed some more. 

The rest of the table was quiet, looking over curiously at him. Kakashi leaned his cheek against Sai’s shoulder. He had a nice laugh. 

“What’s up?” Shisui asked.

“Yeah, care to let us in on the joke?” Kiba asked.

Sai waved his hand dismissively. “Shut up.” He was smiling still, laughing though his words, “I think I’ve discovered the most ironic thing in my life. Shut up and let me enjoy it.” 

Shisui rolled his eyes and turned back to ask Kiba about something. Kakashi nuzzled the side of Sai’s neck and was surprised when he felt Sai reach up and curl his fingers in grey hair. Turning to look at him, Sai said quietly, “Do you know of a man named Danzo Shimura in your world?” 

Kakashi’s grip tightened instinctively. Sai simply nodded and said, “After lunch, I have some things I would like to talk to you and Shisui about. An exchange of information. Do you agree?”

“Happily,” Kakashi murmured. He caught Shisui’s gaze and crinkled his eye in a smile. Shisui winked back at him and carried on with his story.

Really, things were just so interesting in this fucked up village. Kakashi couldn’t wait to hear what Sai had to say about Danzo-san. From Sai’s expression and reaction to his bloodline, he had a feeling it would be just as fucked up and weird as everything else. 

He was almost sorry to destroy Konoha. Really, it was turning out to be a pretty amusing place.


	5. Treated Like Family

“Are you going to be okay with those two?” Hinata asked quietly as they got up from the table. Kiba was paying, laughing and shaking his head, with Shisui’s arm over his shoulders and Kakashi has his nose in his book, waiting for them to finish up. Sai had just returned from the bathroom himself, the first time he’s been out of either Shisui’s or Kakashi’s hands since he was brought into the restaurant.

He gave her a little smile. “Are you worried? You need not be. I can take care of myself.”

“Well, yes,” she admitted, still speaking quietly, still glancing nervously to Kakashi.

Strange, how she considered him more of a threat than the Uchiha stranger standing behind her, but Sai has never considered her to be the brightest ninja. After all, her heart was set on the blond idiot, of all people.

“But they’re still…” She bit a lip, brows furrowing. “A bit weird. Don’t you think?”

Yes. He did think so. He thought exactly that. They were weird and they were interesting. And he could still feel Kakashi’s breath against his neck, which was a very odd thing to think about. They certainly were more interesting to interact with than his usual parade of strangers that he dealt with on a daily basis.

He had been on his way to bother Ino when Shisui had found him on the street. Sai was absolutely convinced that this was a better way to spend his afternoon than in the flower shop. “Yes.” He agreed with her, “Very few practice such aggressive forms of bonding. I think they want to be my friend.”

“...I’m worried they might want more than that,” Hinata muttered.

“Aww, Hinata-chan,” Shisui said as he stepped up beside her. He ran his hand casually over her shoulder, reaching up to brush a lock of her dark hair away from her face. “When you worry, you get the cutest expression on your face.” He winked, moving past her to drape his arm over Sai’s shoulders. “But you shouldn’t worry too much. You’ll get a little furrow between your brows and make people think you’re mad when you’re not.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly. Sai leaned into Shisui’s side, noting that this caused the other man to tighten his grip on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Shisui-san, I just can’t forget what Naruto said earlier… If he’s so upset with you it must be for a good reason. And you did say your summon hurt Kakashi-sensei’s dogs.”

“It was an unfortunate accident,” Shisui admitted, “We both could have made different choices, but that is something between Hatake and I, not between myself and Naruto and certainly not between you and I.” While he was speaking, Sai could feel Kakashi stepping up on his other side. He felt a faint touch on his spine that trailed downwards until Kakashi’s gloved hand rested at the small of his back. Sai glanced to him out of the corner of his eye and caught a smile from his senpai.

“Still,” Hinata said, looking from Shisui to Sai and back, “Sai is one of Naruto’s teammates…”

“Is that really the reason that you care?” Sai asked, honestly curious. “Not because you and I are friends, but because I am one of Naruto’s teammates?”

Hinata flushed a deeper pink, “No, of course I care about you as a person, Sai.”

He gave her a flat stare. He was really quite good at those. After a few seconds, he tilted his head and gave a tiny smile. “As I said before, I can take care of myself. Besides, the trouble that Shisui and Kakashi are in has to deal with fuinjutsu. I have experience with many different kinds of seals and I have a private place where we can work on this.

“If they are truly a pair of troublemakers, wouldn’t the best option be to assist them in returning home as quickly as possible?”

“Troublemakers?” Shisui repeated. “We’re not troublemakers! How could you say that, Sai!”

“Rude,” Kakashi said. “So rude.”

Sai just smiled. Offended though their tones may suggest, they hadn’t pulled away from him in the least. In fact, he’s certain that Kakashi moved _closer_ in order to whisper that into his ear.

“Hinata they’ll be fine together!” Kiba said, patting his teammate on the shoulder. “Don’t worry! Kakashi and Shisui are pretty good guys. I mean, I think they’re great.”

“We’ll meet up again soon, Kiba,” Shisui said with a wink. “Lunch was great, but maybe dinner next time?”

“Or breakfast,” Kakashi suggested, “You can stay over and Shisui can cook. He’s very cute in an apron.”

“Please,” Shisui said, “I am a twenty one year old man, Kakashi. I’m not cute, I’m _cool.”_

“I’m not a liar,” Kakashi said. “And I’m certainly not going to start being one to soothe your ego.”

The pair of them turned to go, Shisui with his guiding arm around Sai’s shoulder. Kiba gave them a wave and a shout of “Have fun!” and for some reason “Don’t forget to use protection!” that got Hinata blushing. Kakashi waved back and Shisui winked without stopping his friendly bickering with Kakashi.

Sai walked between them, feeling slightly like he was in the wrong place. They talked to each other in a similar way to Naruto and Sakura, almost teasing, almost fighting, but friendly. However, instead of pulling ahead to walk side by side, they appeared perfectly comfortable to talk over his head. Of course Shisui kept his arm around Sai’s shoulders and Kakashi had his hand lingering at his back.

Sai wasn’t exactly sure where he should put his own hands. He was going to have to read more about this sort of thing, really, or ask someone about it.

He reviewed his options of people to ask -Sakura, Ino, Yamato, Actual Kakashi, maybe some of the other shinobi he’s worked with- Sai decided that asking might be more trouble than it was worth. Better to go with trial and error, then.

Where were places that people touched when they were walking with others? Well, Shisui had taken his hand when going to the restaurant, but now his hand was across Sai’s shoulder. So that was off limits. Kakashi’s hand was on his back, too, so he couldn’t hold his hand either.

If he were to put his arms around them in return, he would have to put his across Kakashi’s shoulder and a hand on Shisui’s back. He pictured that in his mind and decided that it looked too forced. Not simple enough. Not the right image or action.

So no shoulders, no back, no hands. Where else?

Oh right.

Reaching behind both men with his hands, Sai tucked his fingers into Shisui’s back pocket and in the space between Kakashi’s belted pouch and his pants since he didn’t have a back pocket. With his hands fully occupied by surprisingly firm buttocks, Sai gave his new friends a smile. “My apartment is this way,” he said, taking advantage of Shisui’s sudden silence. “We can work without distraction there.”

He saw Shisui give a Look of some sort to Kakashi, but it was quick and they were too unfamiliar for him to identify it quickly. Kakashi responded to the look by tightening his grip on Sai’s hip, though, and lean forward to give an eye crinkling smile to Sai. “We appreciate this a lot, Sai. We were worried that we wouldn’t find anyone capable of working with seals in this village without any Uzumaki around.”

“Yeah,” Shisui said, “You’re a lifesaver. I hope we’ll be able to repay the debt before we go home.”

“I am sure that we can come to some sort of agreement,” Sai said, thinking about the line of Shisui’s jaw and the interesting shape of Kakashi’s teeth. They would be excellent models, if he could get them to sit still long enough. He definitely wanted to paint them. Especially if they were to leave him behind and return to their own home. Sai had met very few people that accepted him so quickly and treated him so, well, normally.

He would miss them, when they left. As they must. So, if he could, he would paint their portraits first. Dozens of them, if he could, to satisfy himself.

“Oh certainly,” Shisui said with a smile. “We’re gonna come to something.”

* * *

Sai’s apartment was in newly developed area of the village- or at least, ten years ago in Kakashi’s Konoha it was new. It was up on the far edge of the village, on a slight hill where the taller buildings overlooked the skyline. Kakashi could see a decade’s worth of wear and tear on the streets and buildings that they passed. On that warm afternoon, there were plenty of people out on front porches and decks, visiting with each other. Again and again, Kakashi caught the eye of these people -a mixture of civilians and off duty shinobi- as they watched Sai pass by, arm in arm with Shisui, with open curiosity. Kakashi trailed behind the pair, his hands in his pockets.

Whenever he made eye contact with someone staring, he would arch his brow as if to ask _Yes? What is it?_ Civilians would flush and guiltily look away. Shinobi would arch an eyebrow back, glancing from him to the pair and back; _So what’s this then?_

Kakashi didn’t bother responding. It was better that way. More rumor. More suspicion. More curiosity. That was good.

Sai lead them inside his building and up the surprisingly narrow stairs to a loft. He unlocked the door and nudged it open, smiling slightly, “This is the place.”

Shisui slipped past him, fingers slipping from his grip and grinned. “Ohh, nice.” Kakashi followed him silently. “Did you do all of these?” Shisui picked up a sheaf of papers sitting on the kotatsu.

Kakashi looked around the large room. On the far left there was a kitchenette with a small fridge, stove and a table with a pair of chairs. In the center of room was a the kotatsu, covered with papers and surrounded by a large cushion to sit on. To the far right was where Sai’s bed was, tucked into a corner, piled with blankets, and wedged between several bookcases. A single door was on the opposite wall. It was open, and the tile on the other side told him it was a bathroom. Two large windows gave the studio room plenty of light, one on the eastern wall by the bed and the other on the west in the kitchen.

Shisui flipped through the papers in his hand, smiling. He pulled out one and turned it to show to Kakashi. “Look at this. This is incredible.”

Kakashi took the page. It was a detailed sketch of the village from a vantage point above. Electric poles, flower pots on window sills, people walking down the street, intricate details far away and, right in the foreground, a pair of birds on a railing. He looked up to Sai. “This is remarkable.”

Sai smiled. “Thank you.”

“Really, though,” Shisui said, “This reminds me a lot of your dad’s work,” He lifted up another piece for Kakashi to look at. This one was clearly a portrait of Sakura, her hair falling over her shoulder, wearing a white doctor’s jacket and with glowing green hands the same brilliant shade as her eyes. “Your linework is amazing. Not to mention the way you use colors really draws the focus.”

“My dad?” Sai asked. “I never met the man. Or my mother, for that matter.” He walked over and took a seat at the kotatsu, tidying up the stacks of paper around him. “What were they like?”

Kakashi followed his lead, sinking down and stretching out his legs under the table. Shisui kept passing him pictures, more sketches of Sakura, some of Sasuke and Naruto, one or two of Hatake as well.

“I don’t remember them well,” Shisui admitted. “I was young when they died and it was only your mother who was friends with mine. They were jounin together and often went on missions in the same team. My mother often served as medic to your mom’s team.” He paused, blinking in surprise at one of the pictures he looked at.

He suddenly crouched down beside Kakashi and held it out, “Hey, does this look like Itama to you?”

Kakashi cocked his head to the side. Uncolored, he couldn’t be certain about the man’s hair color in the picture, but if he had to guess it would have been brown. The face was slightly downcast, but that did nothing to hide the happuri he wore. “It does. So he’s around in this world too? We should meet up with him if we can.”

Shisui held out the picture to Sai. “Can  you get us in touch with this man? He’s one of our friends back home, so it’d be great to say hi.”

Sai nodded. “He is on a mission right now, but should return in a day or two. But if this is the one you referred to as Itama, you should know that in this world his name is Yamato.”

“Yamato, huh,” Shisui repeated, “Weird. But all right. Nice. We’ll be able to chat with him then. I wonder how many other people got name changes in this world…”

Kakashi nudged Shisui with an elbow, “You were telling Sai about his parents from the other world.”

“Oh!” Shisui put down the sketches he held, “Sorry. These are really distracting.” He laughed, shaking his head, “But yeah. Your mother and mine were friends. If I remember right, your mom worked directly with the Sandaime in a lot of his war projects. She was a pretty brilliant captain, or so my mom used to say. She got some injury that took her out of the mission field, though, so she took up work with the police force instead.

“I remember that your parents died in a freak travel accident. I’m not sure where they were going or why, but when you were about three they took a five day vacation to some little village and didn’t make it back alive. My mom took you in for a few years, but when she got sick she couldn’t take care of you and herself at the same time so you went to live at the main Uchiha orphanage. Obito and Rin took that over after the whole cave mishap and so, back home, they’re like your third set of parents or something.”

“What about my father?” Sai asked.

“I know even less about him,” Shisui said. “He wasn’t a shinobi, but an artist. We have a couple of his paintings in my house back home and most of the rest are spread out among his patrons and friends in the clan and village. He was a popular painter, although his following was mostly in Konoha and the surrounding civilian towns.”

“...he was a painter,” Sai murmured, looking down at his own artwork. He picked up one of the pages and ran his fingers over it. His expression was blank when he looked up again. “As I said, I do not remember my parents in this world. I was orphaned young, perhaps even in he way that you mention, and was taken and trained to be a shinobi from childhood. I knew nothing but training for years. At least, nothing besides my art.”

“It certainly looks like you’ve been practicing this skill for a long time,” Shisui said. “I’m jealous. Even with the sharingan, I couldn’t draw half as well as this.”

Sai smiled. “I believe gratitude is the correct response for such compliments, right? So thank you.”

Shisui blinked. His cheeks flushed slightly and he looked to Kakashi. _Oh no,_ Shisui’s gaze told him, _he’s really cute!_

Rolling his eye, Kakashi said, “We’ll need some blank paper and non-chakra infused ink so Shisui can recreate the seal he saw in the woods. Would you mind providing some, Sai?”

“Not at all.” The young man pulled out a large sketch pad from under a stack of papers and held it out. “Use this.”

“Great!” Shisui took it and the brush Sai also provided. A blink and his sharingan was spinning. He flipped to a blank page and began to sketch. Kakashi watched him silently for a while before his attention switched to Sai.

Without a smile on his face, he was unnervingly difficult to read. Kakashi propped his chin in his palm, leaning against the table to stare at him. Sai’s gaze slowly shifted away from Shisui, who worked at the seal with his tongue pressed between his lips, and to Kakashi.

“You mentioned an exchange of information at the restaurant,” Kakashi said smiling. Sai blinked once and then nodded slightly. “And you also mentioned Danzo?”

Shisui’s hand stopped for a moment. He didn’t look away from his work, though, just kept humming and recreating the complex seal array. He was listening, though, that much was obvious. Of course he would be, though. Danzo-san’s name wasn’t one to be thrown about casually.

“Yes.” Sai said, “He is the one who raised me in this world. Under his guidance, I became the shinobi I am today.” He gave one of those light, too fake smiles of his. Both of his hands rested on the table, his posture giving no signs of aggression or defensiveness. Despite that, Kakashi doubted Sai had completely dropped his guard. It would have been incredibly unwise of him to do so, after all. “I take it from your recognition of his name that he existed in your world as well?”

Kakashi nodded. He glanced to Shisui, saw a shift in his partner’s shoulders - _Go ahead-,_ and looked back, saying, “He was the Sandaime.”

Sai’s eyes widened.

In the silence, Kakashi added, “We’ve seen the Hokage monument. Between your Konoha and ours, only the Shodaime is the same. I recognize the second face as Senju Tobirama, the Shodaime’s little brother, and I recognize your Yondaime as Minato-sensei, but who is your second?”

“His name was Sarutobi Hiruzen,” Sai said, “He was appointed by the Second and when the Fourth died, he resumed his position until his own death about eight years ago.”

“Sarutobi Hiruzen,” Kakashi repeated. The name was vaguely familiar, but only distantly so. He drummed his fingers against his jaw and asked, “Shisui? Do you…?”

“He died in the second war,” Shisui murmured, “The Nidaime was injured and her team needed to escape. Sarutobi acted as a decoy as the others escaped. He was the Danzo-san’s and Kagami’s teammate.”

“Ah. That would explain why he wasn’t chosen as the Third, then,” Kakashi shrugged. “And after the war the Nidaime chose Danzo-san.”

Sai’s face was blank once more. His eyes moved from Kakashi to Shisui and then away towards the window. “Your world is very different from mine. The Danzo of this world was never Hokage, though he had great ambition to be. He did… many things in the service of the village.”

Shisui set down the paper pad on the table with a little slap. “Done!” He gave Sai a beaming smile and said, “Sai, do you mind if I take a nap? Summoning always makes me exhausted and I’ve been going nonstop since this lug got his nose broken this morning,” he jerked his thumb towards Kakashi.

_Ah,_ Kakashi thought, pulling the sketch book over to himself. _We’re done with that conversation then. You’re no fun when you’re so easily annoyed, Shisui._ “I’ll look over this and see what can be done with it.”

Sai nodded, giving his tiny smile. Kakashi looked at it fondly. He really did look a lot like Itachi, smiling that way. “I thought it was you who sparred this morning,” Sai said, “When did he break his nose?”

“He climbed into the shower with Saku-chan,” Shisui said with a laugh. He pushed himself up from the table. Bending over, he kissed Kakashi’s temple. Kakashi elbowed him in the thigh to make him go. “She called him a pervert and punched him right in the face. I found him naked and bleeding on the bathroom floor between Hatake in the doorway and Saku-chan in the shower. It was hilarious.”

“Sadist,” Kakashi muttered. These seals were really complex… But if that symbol off to the side was correct, he knew the origin of this work…

“By Saku-chan you mean Sakura, correct?” Sai asked. “Did you not tell me this morning that you woke up in the apartment of this world’s Kakashi?”

“You remember well!” Shisui said brightly. He bent down beside Sai as well, leaning in, “Give me a goodnight kiss?”

Sai tilted his head to the side. “I have never done that before, although I have read about it. Goodnight kisses are exchanged between family members and romantic partners. If you are correct about my origins, then we are cousins.”

“Is that a yes?” Shisui asked, chuckling.

“It is.” Sai nodded.

Shisui tucked a finger under Sai’s chin, lifting it up and turning his head to kiss him in such a way that Kakashi could watch. Chin still in his palm, Kakashi did so. He wasn’t in the least surprised when Shisui pulled back, licked his lips and said, “You’re just like my cousin Itachi. Do you mind if I treat you the same way?”

Sai’s face was unreadable. “I do not.”

“Wonderful,” Shisui beamed. He slipped away from the table then, padding over to the bed. Kakashi turned his attention back to the seal. He was right. This was something Naho and Minato-sensei had been working on. That made things easier.

_First I need to identify the different characters and which form they take in context to those around them…_ Kakashi bent to the task, making notes on a spare page. He was fully absorbed in the task when Sai spoke, startling him out of his focus.

“What was that?”

He looked up to see Sai was watching Shisui sleep. He had a different sketchbook in his lap and charcoal in his hand. He kept sketching, not looking up from the work as he repeated, “Shisui’s relationship with Itachi is an intimate one, is it not?”

“It is,” Kakashi confirmed.

“He intends to treat me the same way?”

“Sounds like it.”

“Is his relationship with you not satisfying enough?” Sai suddenly looked at him.

“No. It isn’t.” Kakashi chuckled. Really, the kid could hurt someone with words so sharp. Sai looked at him, eyes slightly widened. “What? Does it surprise you for me to admit it so easily?”

“You are not upset by the accusation or that it is true. I have read that jealousy is inherent in romantic and sexual relationships. I have also read that such partnerships cannot survive without fidelity and exclusivity.” Sai’s hand never stopped sketching. He turned his gaze back to his art, occasionally lifting his gaze from his paper to the sleeping Shisui across the room.

“Do you enjoy reading about relationships?” Kakashi asked.

“I have to.” Sai responded, “Or else I have no way to learn.”

“What about experience? Why not just participate in a relationship?”

“I have no one with whom I would engage in such an experiment,” Sai shrugged a shoulder, that of his non-sketching hand. “Shisui is the first to indicate such an interest in me. I should do more reading to figure out how to properly respond.”

Kakashi looked at Shisui.

His lover slept easily on the bed available. He had stripped off his jacket and shirt, along with a few of his weapon pouches, leaving himself rather vulnerable on the bed. He lay on top of the blankets, one arm tucked under the pillow behind his head and the other on his chest. In the afternoon light, his tanned skin was dusky brown. Even with his mouth open and the occasional slight snore, he was gorgeous from the curl of his black hair on top to the trail of it at his navel, leading down to the waist of his pants.

Kakashi blinked.

Going back to his seal, he said, “I doubt reading will help you make an informed choice. You won’t find his relationship personality type listed in any advice book.”

“And what is his relationship personality?”

Thoughtfully, he tapped the end of his pencil to his masked chin. Then, with a shrug, Kakashi said, “He’s an Uchiha.”

“...you still manage to be completely unhelpful, even when you were raised in another world.”

“Come on now,” Kakashi laughed, “You don’t expect me to give away all my boyfriend’s secrets do you? Don’t think to hard about it, Sai. You said no one expressed interest in you like Shisui has? Why not use this opportunity to experience what you’ve only read about before?”

The soft scratching of charcoal on paper stopped. Sai was looking at him again. He gave a little smile, “You don’t mind sharing him?”

Kakashi smirked behind his mask. “He might run around a lot, but he knows where his home is. You can borrow him if you like.”

Sai turned back to Shisui. There was something soft in his expression, a minute shift around his lips and his eyes. Affection, perhaps? It was a bit hard to tell. Though Kakashi wasn’t surprised that Sai was drawn in by Shisui. The force of the Uchiha’s attention was much like standing in direct sunlight after being kept below ground for months. Such a light could be strong enough to take one’s breath away.

Especially when one wasn’t used to that kind of attention from anyone, let alone someone like Shisui. That was something Kakashi understood very well. He smiled to himself, remembering those first tremulous weeks between himself and Shisui.

However, as Kakashi finished translating the seal, the smile faded.

_ Shit,  _ he thought, looking at the mess he’d made of the structure to identify it. It hadn’t been that difficult to figure out, once he’d pulled out the meaning of the whole seal from the parts. He clenched his hand tightly over his pencil to keep it from shaking as he read over it again to see if he’d missed something that Shisui had put down. 

There was the landing marker (half intelligible though he recognized part of it to mean  _ home _ and  _ hidden leaf)- _ That loop there showing the travel measured in time (it was too long,  _ much  _ too long, one of the more obvious mistakes)- These over here showed the activation sequence (no wonder it had activated, this thing was sensitive to sharingan)- And yet there was a significant portion missing. 

There was no grounder- no tether.

_ Shit. We’re in trouble.  _

Kakashi knew enough to reverse the seal, but that would be useless. The only location available was the one meant for  _ this  _ world. Without knowing the marker for his own Konoha, his own world, they were stuck.

That wasn’t even the worst part.

As far as he could tell there wasn’t any deactivation either.

It was a burner seal- a tester, a beta- to be used up once for experimental purposes and then studied without leaving a trace behind. 

They were stuck. 

And no one was going to be able to find them.

Kakashi set down the pencil and put his hand over his eye.  _ Shit. Shisui, I’m so sorry.  _

_ I said I could get us back.  _ He thought,  _ I fucked up.  _

_ What are we going to do?! _


	6. Open Wounds

Shisui shook awake with a kunai in his hand and his other one twisted into a hand sign. Still half asleep, he struck out with his weapon even as his chakra flared to activate his doujutsu and began to gather to finish off the jutsu he had started. Both hands were stopped by an outside force and Shisui blinked, coming to full awareness in seconds. 

Kakashi knelt over him one hand holding his wrist, the other over his fingers, stopping either attack. That didn’t deactivate Shisui’s sharingan, though, which had flared into life the moment he’d opened his eyes. He panted, looking up at his lover with confusion dripping it’s way past the initial wake up panic. “...There a reason you woke me up early?” He asked, when Kakashi did nothing but look down at him.

His exposed eye was somber. His shoulders slumped. Even his damn hair seemed to be limp.

Something had happened. 

Kakashi knew the moment he had calmed down. He let go and leaned back, settling onto the mattress. His hands twisted together in his lap. With his head tilted in slightly, Kakashi said bluntly, “We can’t go back.”

Shisui ran a hand over his face. He tucked his kunai away into a holster on his leg absently, sitting up to face Kakashi. “What?”

“The seal doesn’t give a return location,” Kakashi said, “It was a burner, Shisui. Naho or Minato-sensei must have overlooked it when they were out in the woods testing. You know the protocol. No leaving stable gates open without securing both locations.”

“...You never know who might come through an unguarded gate,” Shisui muttered, his mouth moving even though his brain was repeating the word  _ stranded  _ over and over again.

Kakashi nodded. He waited in silence. Shisui didn’t have to look at him to know what his unspoken question was.

_ Do we continue with the burn out? _

Licking his lips, Shisui glanced past his lover to Sai. The young man watched them with an impassive face. There was the light of interest in his eyes, however, and Shisui was willing to bet there was plenty of intelligence there too. Kensai was a smart kid- Sai would be no different, even if raised in a different way. They had to be careful. His loyalty would still be to his village, after all. 

Shisui reached out and put his hand on Kakashi’s shoulder. He squeezed once, tightly, and then said, “I need air. And time. I’ve got to think.” He closed his eyes and whispered, “Fuck, I wish Itachi was here.” 

Kakashi put his own hand on Shisui’s knee. “Alone?”

“Sorry.” And he was. Separating from Kakashi wasn’t an ideal plan- even if he could traverse half the village in a matter of seconds- and he didn’t want to leave Kakashi alone if he was still struggling with this being stranded. “I won’t be-”

He stopped when Kakashi shook his head at him. “Don’t rush it. Take the time you need. Figure it out. Come back when you’ve made your decision, Captain.”

Shisui closed his eyes. He was simultaneously grateful for Kakashi’s steadiness and felt wretched that he had to rely on Kakashi when the other man had just as much to lose from this. He leaned in, resting his forehead against Kakashi’s. “I’ll be back tonight. I haven’t forgotten my promise.”

“Well then, I better get some shut eye now since we’ll be up all night,” Kakashi replied, his voice warm and his hand sliding up from Shisui’s knee to his thigh. “Be safe.”

Shisui looked at him through his lashes. He reached up, hooking a finger in Kakashi’s mask and dragging it down to kiss him. He pressed into the kiss, purposefully cutting his tongue on one of those sharp canines Kakashi kept tucked away. When he drew back, panting, he tasted copper and smiled.

Leaning to one side, Shisui looked past Kakashi’s broad shoulder to Sai. “You keep an eye on this one for me, cousin. Don’t let him wander off chasing skirts.”

“Is it not true that infidelity ruptures romantic and sexual relationships?” Sai asked with a curious tilt of the head. “Both of you have implied that the other is not faithful to the other and yet you say it without any hint of rancor.” His gaze flit to Kakashi, who had turned to be able to see him. “Kakashi has indicated that I can, as he put it, borrow you for educational purposes. And now you turn around and suggest that, without your presence to keep him in line, Kakashi is the one who will be unfaithful. How do you maintain any sort of trust in each other this way?”

Shisui looked at Kakashi, “Do I want to know what kind of shit you’ve been saying to Sai?”

“Don’t blame me for this,” Kakashi said, “You’re the one who said you’ll treat him like Itachi. He just extrapolated what you meant from what we’ve already said about him.”

Shisui ran a hand over his face again. “Here’s the short answer to your question. Communication.” He gestured to Kakashi and then back to himself, “There isn’t anything that we keep from each other, even when sometimes it would be the kinder option, if not the smarter one. Yes, sometimes it leads to problems, but ultimately we care too much about each other to let that get in the way.” He gave a crooked little grin, even though he didn’t feel very happy at the moment, “Besides, we’ve already put each other through the worst of the worst. Sleeping around is nothing compared to what we’ve done before.”

“Sadist,” Kakashi muttered.

Shisui laughed, “You’re one to talk.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to the corner of Kakashi’s mouth, whispering against his skin, “Acting like it really bothers you…” 

Kakashi snapped his teeth at him, all heat, no fire. “Go and get your air. Let me have the bed to myself for once.”

Sai watched them with that little smile, though his brows were pinched together in an expression of confusion. Shisui slid off the bed, reaching for his discarded clothes. “Anyway, the secret to a good relationship is communication. If you purposefully keep your mouth shut on little things, for example if something small bothers you that your partner doesn’t even realize they’re doing, you can build up a lot of resentment. A relationship is like an open wound. You have to tend it and clean it out or else it will get infected and kill you.”

“Wounds heal,” Sai said, watching Shisui dress with an unusual look in his eyes. Shisui was used to being lustily ogled and sized up for threats. Whatever Sai was looking for in him was completely separate from either of those two things. “Extending out your metaphor indicates that there is a predetermined end to any relationship. Even a scar is considered a healed wound. Why engage in something that is going to end?”

Shisui shrugged. He crossed the room, heading for the door. Sai turned to follow him with his eyes. “Well the answer to that is obvious.” He opened the door, leaning against the frame, “When your relationship is about to mend itself over, you dig open wound again. Love is a choice, Sai. An injury given to you means so little in comparison to those that are self-inflicted.” 

Sai’s smile faded into his typical blank expression. He stared at Shisui in silence for a while and then looked to Kakashi. 

He found no further enlightenment in that corner, though. Kakashi had already curled up to go to sleep. 

“A word of advice,” Shisui said, smiling. “Don’t wake him up unless the building is burning down. He’ll react as violently as I did and I would hate to see you hurt, Sai.”

He got a nod at this warning. “I will think about what you said about relationships. It is different than what I have heard and read before.”

“We can chat more later,” Shisui said, “Tomorrow, or maybe a few days from now. Hell, we might have months to chat about it, Sai. You can never tell!” With a jaunty wave, Shisui took his leave.

* * *

The fucked up thing-

Well, Shisui admitted to himself, there was definitely more than  _ one  _ fucked up thing about this-

But the  _ current  _ fucked up thing about all of this was the fact that he could walk right through Konoha and no one,  _ absolutely no one,  _ recognized him, called out to him, or even looked at him besides a casual glance. 

True, he was walking slowly, hands tucked into his pockets with his I’m-not-a-threat smile on his face, but still.  _ Still. _

As far as the civilians were concerned, as far as the other shinobi around him were concerned, Shisui was faceless. He might as well have not existed. 

He licked his lips, stopping so a cart could pass in front of him. 

He was no one to these people, and yet he held the future of the whole village in his hands. Well, his and Kakashi’s. 

Again, Shisui felt a pang in his chest, his heart. “Fuck,” he muttered, “If Itachi were here…”

He wouldn’t have to make this choice alone, that way. Not that he had to- He had Kakashi- Could talk to him, ask his opinion, knowing that Kakashi was removed just enough to give something unbiased-

Shisui shook his head roughly. Not unbiased, not really. Not now. Not when they were stuck here. 

Running his hand through his hair, Shisui started walking again, letting his feet take him wherever they wanted. Even with the repairs of the village, even around unknown civilians and vaguely similar shinobi, Shisui was confident he couldn’t get himself into trouble accidentally. At least nothing he couldn’t get himself out of again. 

This was Konoha, after all. Even if there were different shops and different faces, the roads were laid out in the same places. The traffic flowed the same down those streets, a river of motion that swept Shisui up easily. 

This was Konoha- but not  _ his  _ Konoha. 

Although, if Kakashi was right (and Shisui trusted him, believed him, because while Kakashi could be a troll in his own right, this was not something he would attempt) then they were likely stuck here. In this hellish village. Half broken and crumbling, a foundation cracked right down to the ground. 

A village so vulnerable that Shisui knew without a doubt that he could bring it down to the ground with two weeks of work. It wouldn’t be hard, especially since he was so invisible to those around him. You couldn’t protect yourself against threats you didn’t even notice in the first place. It was clear that the village was bringing itself back together after an outside attack.

Another invasion or attack or whatever it had been that brought this kind of feeling to the village, would only make them put their backs to each other, banding together. It was Konoha’s strength, teamwork and loyalty, standing strong in the company of your allies. 

That strength, in turn, is what made Konoha so weak to betrayal and sabotage. Push the right people, pull at the right moment, wind up some, distract others, spread the defense too thin, puncture holes in it, rumor and gossip and turmoil- Shisui knew what to do and who to do it to do break apart Konoha. That was his skill- that was his  _ job-  _ And he knew he could do it to Konoha too. 

He could do it to his own Konoha- had debated it a time or two with Itachi when they were bored out in the mission field- and this one was so much less, so much more vulnerable…

He  _ could  _ do it. He could even avoid the fallout (If the Uchiha were really all gone, Shisui could go anywhere, to any village, and get accepted) if they were permanently stuck in this world. 

The question was, did he  _ want  _ to do it still.

Shisui stopped suddenly, blinking. 

He stood outside a door, inside a building, and he didn’t remember walking there. 

Glancing to either side, he finally recognized where he was when he saw the word  _ Jounin Commander _ on a plaque by the door. Ah. Not a surprise his feet brought him here, then, if he was seeking advice. 

With a sad little smile, he put his hand on the door. It was so very unlikely that his advisor was behind this door, really, but maybe it was still a place he could sit and think about it. Familiar surroundings bringing comfort and all that. He turned his hand to rap a knuckle against the wood. There was a moment and then, “Come in.” 

Shisui sighed. A male voice. Yeah. Definitely a different person was behind this door. 

He opened it and walked in, nudging the door to shut behind himself with his heel. He took the room in with a single glance. There was a couch along the side, well used and completely different from the one he was used to. There was the desk on the far side, stacked with paper on one side and a shogi board set up on it. Turning to look over his shoulder at Shisui sat Sasuke, eyes widened slightly in surprise. 

Shisui gave him a bit of a smirk, but his expression dropped when he noticed the man behind the desk. 

Nara Shikaku regarded him with an evaluating expression, his eyes moving slowly up and down Shisui before settling on his face, just below his eyes. Of course they did, not only was he a fucking Nara, it was fucking Shikaku.

Shisui’s heart clenched then dropped. He felt his spine straighten, couldn’t help the response, and fought against the almost conditioned greeting for this man. His brain told him  _ Mission Report Time  _ at the same time he reminded himself  _ This man is not your Hokage.  _

He managed to give a smile, “Hey. Mind if I crash here for a bit?” He gestured to the walls, “In my world, the jounin commander is ah, a friend.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but didn’t say anything. Shikaku nodded slightly, “Sasuke has mentioned that he had a misplaced cousin wandering around the village.” He lifted a brow and added, “That was quite the spar you had this morning.”

Guilt stuck like a knife in Shisui’s side. He buried his flinch, though, reminding himself that this man  _ was not  _ his Hokage. If anyone- if anything could prevent him from bringing this broken village down to the ground, it would be Shikaku.

“Yeah,” Shisui shrugged. “It got a bit more out of hand than I anticipated.” He walked further into the office and dropped down onto the couch, keeping his posture casual. He stretched out his legs, leaning back, to fully relax. It was one hell of a comfortable couch. “I didn’t think that Hatake had quite so much, how should I put it, aggression in him. Or at least, that it would come out with a little taunting.”

“...His life has not been an easy one,” Shikaku said, “And things have been stressful recently.” 

Shisui glanced to Sasuke, who’s shoulders had stiffened at those words. He had turned his head away from Shisui, as looking back at the board with an intense expression. 

Looking at him, Shisui was reminded of the desolation of the Uchiha compound. The empty streets. The houses overgrown by vines and with rotting wood. He could easily, so easily, see the little Sasuke he remembered, that small, wide eyed eleven year old boy standing in those streets. Alone. Forgotten. With the weight of the Uchiha name alone on his shoulders- because the Clan was strong, the Clan was so much, the Clan’s honor a heavy weight that Shisui himself felt and carried. 

Shisui clenched his jaw. He looked to Shikaku and said, “I have some questions. There are some...things I want to know. Need to know. Will you answer them, Shikaku-sama?” 

The man gave him a slow blink, clearly noting the honorific, and gave a shrug with one shoulder. “Ah, well, that sounds kind of troublesome.” He placed a piece on the board and sat back, “But I also have some questions to ask you. If you don’t mind answering mine, I think I can help you with yours.”

“Hmm,” Shisui rolled his shoulders back. He relaxed even more, becoming boneless on the couch. “Okay.” What could it hurt? As far as he had been able to tell, there was nothing quite like him or his team in this Konoha. They had had different Second Hokages, after all, and his team type had been created by the Nidaime. “I know what my first question is,” He stretched out his arms across the back of the couch and let his cheek rest on the left side, “What the fuck happened to the Uchiha?”

Sasuke visibly flinched. His fingers curled tightly into a fist in his lap, easily visible from Shisui’s position. Shisui kept his own expression a mix between irritated and curious while rage boiled deep in his gut. Yeah. He had thought so. The passing of the Uchiha had scarred Sasuke, badly.

Shikaku sighed, muttered something that sounded like, “Figured that would be the first one,” and then said, “That’s quite a lengthy story. And not exactly a pleasant one, but if Sasuke-”

“Tell him,” Sasuke said sharply, cutting off Shikaku so roughly that Shisui flinched. He bit his tongue to keep himself from snapping at his younger cousin to be  _ respectful to the Hokage.  _ “Tell him everything.” 

_ Different world,  _ he reminded himself.  _ Find your answer, Shisui. There are more important things than Sasuke’s actions, namely, the source of his attitude.  _

Shikaku sighed, tucked his hands into his sleeves- Sasuke still hadn’t played his turn and honestly it looked like he wasn’t going to- and began to speak.

“It started,” he said, his eyes half closed but his gaze on Shisui watching him with the same quiet interest that he was giving in return, “the way most things like this do. Someone in power was paranoid about others using their strength against him and preemptively struck at them.” He licked his lips, paused, and then said, “Shimura Danzo was afraid of the Uchiha and he took steps to remove them, starting with rumor and misconception.”

Slowly, Shikaku laid out the history of the Uchiha Clan’s final years. Shisui listened in absolute silence. Occasionally, Sasuke would let out a trembling, shaking breath. His hands were fisted in the cloth of his pants, his knuckles white, his gaze focused on the desk and nothing else. 

Shisui knew himself to be more composed than that, his body still relaxed except for the occasional moment when he had to remind himself to breathe. Then again, it was obvious that Sasuke was still traumatized in this, having been front and center to the fallout.  _ On the other hand,  _ Shisui thought as Shikaku paused long enough to pour himself a drink and wet his throat with it,  _ I’ve seen this from the outside before. This is just the first time it happened to people I care for, or would have cared for.  _

People his other self  _ had  _ cared for. Itachi’s involvement in the Massacre led Shisui to believe that he was involved as well, somehow, even if Shikaku didn’t know the details of that. By the time Shikaku had finished, Shisui had more questions than before- far more pointed ones too. He held his tongue though, rolling his head to the side and looking up at the ceiling. 

His anger was low, simmering and quiet. 

All those responsible for the loss of the clan were already gone. Sarutobi. Shimura. Itachi. Hell, even Obito and Madara-

Shisui barked out a laugh. Sasuke jerked at the sound and shot him a dark glare. Shikaku sipped from his cup- sake by the smell of it- and arched an eyebrow. 

“What’s so funny?” Sasuke snapped. His voice sounded jagged. Shisui stopped laughing but a slow smile spread over his face.  _ Wounded,  _ that voice told him,  _ he’s still wounded over this- And whatever he’s doing now isn’t healing him, not like it could be. Not with an expression like that. Poor little cousin… It’s a good thing Itachi can’t see you like this.  _

“They’re such small changes,” Shisui whispered, “But everything is different. In my world, Sarutobi died. Shimura was the Third hokage, hand chosen by the Second.” He sat up, crossing his legs at the knee and resting his hands on the cushion. “Our Nidaime was Madara.  _ She  _ defended the village as a warrior.  _ She  _ chose Shimura to succeed her.” 

Sasuke’s expression is shocked and open because of it. Shikaku’s brows rise. “That is… That would change everything. With Madara as the Nidaime… I can’t imagine what kind of world would spiral out from that…”

Shisui couldn’t help it, “One where you end up as the Yondaime?”

Shikaku froze. He stared now, just as shocked as Sasuke. “You’re kidding me. I would  _ never.  _ Do you have any idea how much  _ paperwork  _ comes with being _ Hokage?”  _

“A little. Kakashi helps out, sometimes. And I’m friends with the jounin commander there. She makes me help her with her work, and when I complain she says at least it isn’t as much as the Hokage’s.” Shisui bounced to his feet and walked over. Sasuke stiffened as he approached, but Shisui put his hand on his shoulder anyway. He got the feeling Sasuke had about as much experience as Sai with nonviolent physical contact. Looked like he had yet another cousin needing some skinship. 

“She?” Shikaku inquired, “Would I know who has my position in your world?”

“Well-” Shisui began, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. He glanced to it and then back to Shikaku. “Expecting company?” Sasuke was rigid under his hand. His cousin shifted his shoulder, attempting to dislodge Shisui.

“No. But I know this chakra.” Shikaku raised his voice, “Come in, son.”

The door swung open. Shisui turned to give a grin to the newcomer. Shikamaru, a face he knew well from his own world (although younger and a little less exhausted looking) stepped in. He took in the room and then settled his gaze on his father. “Sorry for the interruption, but since Uchiha Shisui made the time to come back to the tower, the Hokage wants to see him. Something about a spar from this morning?”

“Ah,” Shikaku hummed, “She heard about that already?”

“Sakura was also there,” Sasuke murmured. “As well as Naruto. One of them probably…” he let the words drift off. Shisui slid his hand off of Sasuke’s shoulder, letting the touch linger perhaps more than he would normally. Sasuke gave him an unreadable, though stony, look. Shisui winked at him. 

“Time to face the music, I suppose,” He turned. “Sorry Shikaku-sama, we’ll have to meet up again for the rest of this conversation. I have so many questions.” 

“As do I. Perhaps we can arrange something later.” 

Shisui gave a little wave as he headed to the door. “Excuse me,” He stepped past Shikamaru, “Nice to see you all grown up, kid.”

Shikamaru sighed and rolled his eyes. “Troublesome,” he muttered. “This way,” he turned and lead Shisui to the Hokage’s office. With a smile, Shisui followed. 

* * *

For the second time that day, Tsunade had Shisui Uchiha, a dead man from an alternate world, standing in her office. He had an easy smile, stood with his hands loose at his sides with his thumb hooked in his pockets and no tension in his stance. The only difference between then and now was the lack of his companion, the younger Kakashi Hatake.

Considering all he had reportedly done since his time in her office that morning, Tsunade thought her uneasiness as justified. Resting her hands on her desk, she remarked, “I thought I mentioned no killing this morning as you ran off to fight Kakashi. I did not intend for those words to be a joke, Shisui.”

He cocked his head to the side, “You said for us to not kill each other, not our summons. I’m sorry that I took you so literally, Tsunade-sama.”

Tsunade eyed him, frowning. She had been wrong about her initial assumption. He had changed, but only in demeanor. His body was casual, but his tone respectful. Speaking to him now was much more like speaking to one of her usual Jounin, not one of team seven’s chaotic crew. He was not nearly so familiar when they were alone. Interesting. 

“You killed two of Kakashi Hatake’s summons in a non-lethal sparring match,” She said, keeping her tone cool, her gaze fixed on him. “You may be from a different Konoha and he might not be the Kakashi you’re used to, but that is no excuse for such violence.” 

“You’re right,” he admitted easily. “Such an act is surely out of proportion to a non-lethal fight.”

There was a headache wrapped up in those words. She could feel it growing behind her eyes. “I can’t tolerate this kind of infighting, Uchiha,” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk. “And I can’t let it go without remark or consequence.”

He gave a strange smile, shifting his weight a little. “Is the reason you’re handling this personally because I’m from another world, because Hatake is so highly regarded or because Konoha has steadfastly failed to replace its police force after slaughtering it over a decade ago?”

Tsunade tensed. “...What was that?”

Who had he been talking to? Hadn’t Shikamaru found him with Shikaku? 

She glanced to the side, to a clock. Ah. It was about that time when Sasuke used the Nara’s office to escape from Naruto’s attention. She hadn’t said anything about it to Naruto, not after Shikaku had explained  _ why  _ he accepted Sasuke’s visits without any fuss. Everyone deserved a place to find some peace of mind that boy needed that desperately. 

And if Shisui had found them there-

But  _ why  _ had he been there?

Had he gone looking for them?

Had he-

“Have you already decided what my punishment is for my actions, Tsunade-sama?” Shisui’s voice cut through her thoughts. He was still smiling, still standing at ease. Unthreatening in everything but that last question about his clan. 

“I have,” she said. “Examining and identifying a seal does not require direct chakra output. While you are in Konoha, your chakra will be sealed to the minimum level. I will not have you summoning that… tiger… of yours again.” It was a harsh judgement, in some cases, but he as an Uchiha. The council was already at her throat over one Uchiha boy being let back into the village, she didn’t need another one running around and stirring up more trouble. 

Besides, it was temporary. As soon as they reverse engineered that damn seal she’d kick them both back to their world and pray she wasn’t anywhere near Konoha if this sort of nonsense happened again. 

Shisui went stiff at her words and then relaxed again. He nodded his head. “I accept.” 

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. She was Hokage and he a Konoha shinobi- Accepting punishment wasn’t exactly necessary for it to be dealt out anyway. But he wasn’t done speaking.

“On one condition,” He lifted up a finger, “Will you answer me one question? I’m asking it on Kakashi’s behalf.” Again that strange little smile, “My Kakashi, I mean.”

“What is it?” 

“How did Orochimaru become a traitor to the village?” 

That headache that was budding before blossomed fully now. She rubbed at her forehead, closing her eyes. “Why do you want to know?”

“Orochimaru is Kakashi’s step-father,” Shisui said. Tsunade dropped her hand so fast it was like it was on fire. She gaped at him. “You were his teammate in our world and you’re the Hokage in this one. I was hoping you would have the answer to that so I can explain to Kakashi why his step-father turned his back on the village.”

She stared, still shocked. Orochimaru. With a  _ family.  _ Orochimaru as a father to  _ Kakashi.  _

Orochimaru still loyal to Konoha. Her heart ached at the thought. All the damage he had done- that had been done to him-

“I will,” She said gently. “I’ll tell you what I know and you may tell Kakashi, yours I mean, though I ask you not to tell many others. He is… was… a good friend. The time before he turned traitor are still good memories. I would like to respect them if I can.”

Shisui’s smile dropped away, making him look older and serious. “As you wish. I’ll let you seal me to hear your explanation.” 

With a weary sigh, Tsunade nodded. “Shizune!” She called for her friend and aide. The woman stepped in through a side door after a moment. “Bring me chakra infused ink. And some tea. And cancel my next meeting. This one will be running longer than I anticipated.”

Shizune nodded, giving a curious look to Shisui. Then she ducked back out again, leaving them alone.

Shisui gave her a smile, small and oddly like Sai’s. “Thank you, Tsuande-sama. I know things like this aren’t easy to explain and that, really, you have no reason to…”

His voice trailed off. She was shaking her head. Sitting back in her chair, she looked to the side, focusing distantly on the wall. “No. I actually don’t mind that much, now. Few regard Orochimaru with any sort of respect or affection these days. It will be… different. Talking to someone who thinks highly of him. He made many mistakes which led him further and further down his dark path, but there are some things that were done  _ to _ him.”

She gave a wry chuckle, “I wish I had some sake to go with this, though… It won’t be an easy story to tell.”

Shisui nodded, “The best of them never really are.” 

* * *

It was dark by the time Shisui returned.

Sai had spent the hours he was away drawing him from memory on one of his larger sketchpads. Kakashi had slept those hours, his breath even, his body half curled and unmoving. When he woke, he had stayed in the bed, stretched out and silent, watching Sai as he had sketched. 

Sometime during that, he slipped out of the apartment. Sai noticed this belatedly and stopped his drawing, charcoal poised above the page. Instead of chasing after the man himself, he sent one of his ink birds to track him down. 

Kakashi came back with the bird still intact and two bags of takeout in hand. He put the food on the table, tugged his mask down so he could kiss Sai’s forehead (a strangely affectionate gesture that Sai puzzled over in silence) and said he was going to shower. 

Shisui returned after that, walking into the apartment without knocking. His face was blank, devoid of emotion and Sai stared at him uncomfortable. It took him a moment to realize  _ why  _  he was uncomfortable.

Shisui looked like  _ him.  _ In that moment, with that expression, Sai saw his own reflection.

Outside of mirrors, that had never happened.

Shisui got two steps into the apartment before Kakashi was at his side. Sai watched as the masked nin cupped the other’s cheeks in both hands and turned his head so their eyes met. “Tell me,” Kakashi whispered.

“If only we had showed up ten… twenty years ago,” Shisui murmured, “Then there might be something worth saving.” 

Kakashi didn’t say anything to that. He only dropped his hands from Shisui’s face to his hands. Tugging on them, he pulled Shisui towards the bed. 

Sai saw the stiffness in Shisui’s body make it difficult for Kakashi to guide him. He blinked. He recognized that kind of movement. He had seen it recently enough to make the connection. “Shisui, what happened to your chakra?”

Kakashi looked at him in alarm. 

“Tsunade sealed it,” Shisui said. Kakashi whipped his head back around to Shisui.

“She did  _ what?”  _

“I got information for it,” Shisui snapped. There was a rise of color to his face, then, and his expression shifted, showing anger, “Oh did I get information. I found out what happened to my clan, Kakashi. And I found out what happened to Orochimaru.”

Sai blinked. Why would they care about him? Curious. He kept silent as Kakashi growled.  _ “Tell me.”  _

“I will,” Shisui said. “Later.”

For a moment, Sai was certain that Kakashi was going to argue. It was written in his posture, from his lifted chin to his defiant posture, ready to stand firm and demand answers. But then Kakashi, who stood close to Shisui, who looked in his eyes, saw something Sai didn’t. He relaxed instead, nodding. “Later,” he agreed. “For now you have a promise to keep.”

Shisui glanced to Sai then. Sai felt a strange clench in his chest, a twist in his belly, at the look he got. There was a sly smile and a lifted eyebrow and a feeling that Sai could vaguely describe as  _ heated.  _ “Sai,” he said, “Do you mind if we borrow your bed?”

“And some rope,” Kakashi added. “Or strips of cloth if you don’t have rope.”

“Tch,” Shisui pouted at Kakashi, “Not wire?”

“I don’t fucking trust the healers in this world,” Kakashi said, “And we don’t have Itachi with us. So no wire.”

“I do not mind,” Sai said. “So long as I may continue to draw you.”

Shisui lit up at that, “Oh please, do. And thank you. You’re the best.”

Sai blinked at the praise, even as Kakashi started pulling on Shisui’s hands again. He rose to his feet, “I’ll get the rope,” he said, though it appeared as though neither one heard him. As Sai went to fetch rope from a storage container tucked into his closet, they stumbled to the bed, removing clothing without a shred of shame.

He handed over the rope to Kakashi and then went to get his sketch book. 

It was going to be an interesting night.

 


	7. Still Smiling, Bright and Lovely

Naruto was pacing in her living room when Sakura walked out of her bathroom.

It was the second morning since the arrival of the two dimension hoppers and she was still exhausted from the day before. Kakashi had been frighteningly unresponsive once he’d returned to his apartment and she had left him late that night, only to return and collapse on her own bed.

Naruto jumped to follow as she walked through the room to her kitchen. “What’s wrong?” She didn’t want to know but had to ask.

“Those two assholes were supposed to meet up with Sasuke and I for dinner last night but they never showed!” Naruto shouted, following her into the kitchen. She opened her fridge and stared into it, completely without energy to make herself a damn thing. She needed to eat, though. Sakura dragged her hand over her face. When was the last time she had a proper meal?

“...everywhere for them but I couldn’t find them, Sakura. They’re missing! What if they left the village?” Naruto continued his half of the conversation without any input from her.

Sakura wondered why he couldn’t have put his energy into helping her rather than stand around and wait for her to do everything. He didn’t have to cook, but maybe start the water boiling for tea? Was that too much to ask?

“Do  you think they took Sasuke with them?”

Sakura stopped her rummaging through her cupboards for a breakfast bar she was certain she’d purchased. She turned and looked at Naruto, half frantic, and realized that Sasuke wasn’t with him. Which was odd. Very odd. Sasuke was the most unwilling limpet alive, clinging to Naruto because there was _no one else._

Not even she could tolerate him that much anymore.

“Okay, Naruto,” she said with the last of her patience. It was barely sunrise and she wanted to crawl right back into bed. “First of all, Shisui got his chakra sealed yesterday on Tsunade’s orders. He’s not going anywhere very fast at all. Secondly, I would have been told if they left the village, considering they’re my damn responsibility apparently. Third of all, Tsunade said that Shisui said he was going to go back to his cousin when he was done in the tower. So they’re with Sasuke, somewhere in the village. It’s not like he has any other living cousins, right?”

Naruto, who had started frowning at her words, suddenly perked up, “That’s right! But they could be at a grave or memorial for some of his family! Thank you Sakura!”

He was out the door before she could even begin to explain that it was incredibly unlikely for Shisui and Hatake to be in a _graveyard_ at _seven in the morning._ There was no way they would have stayed there the whole night.

Rubbing at the headache forming behind her eyes, Sakura decided to find something to eat that was hot that she _didn’t_ have to cook herself. Naruto would bounce his way around the village and either find them and cause a scene so _she_ found them or wouldn’t find them at all and would end up whining to her about it again. Sasuke- well, he could take care of himself. Or not. Maybe _he’d_ be the one tossed around in a sparring match with some out of place universe asshole for once.

The streets were beginning to pick up with morning traffic, people commuting to their work or to the village gates while others opened up their shop windows and doors. Sakura joined the flow easily, eyeing some of the more popular breakfast spots.

She was about to head into one when a curious sight caught her eye.

It was Sai, standing at an open air stall, clearly shopping. That wasn’t the unusual part though. _That_ was Kiba with Akamaru at his side, standing next to Sai and talking with him.

So few people went out of their way to speak to Sai. Sakura was one of the few who did and at least part of that was due to the fact that she’d been put on a team with him so she knew him better than others. If someone was talking to him, there was usually some other reason than just saying hi.

Turning on her heel, she walked over. Kiba caught sight of her and lifted his hand in a wave. “Hey Sakura.”

“Hey Kiba. Hey Sai,” She stepped up, giving a smile to them both. “What’s up?”

“Not much,” Kiba shrugged. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. There was a strange flush to his cheeks and he looked shiftily to Sai as though he were hiding something. Ah well. Sakura knew how to get that information out of him.

She turned a bright smile to Sai. He looked up from the vegetables he was considering and gave her a smile in reply. She blinked in surprise. His expression was soft, almost friendly, warm even.

It looked natural. “...Sai?” She asked, “Uh. What are you doing?”

“Shopping,” he replied, looking at the vegetable in his hand -a cucumber? Summer squash? She couldn’t tell from a glance- and then handing them both over to the shop keeper who stood by, waiting. “Shisui is making our lunches today.”

“Shisui is-” She started, still a little blindsided by his smile. He looked so… cute. It was weird. Her words fell away and she looked helplessly to Kiba. “Uh?”

Sai got a paper bag back from the store owner and tucked it into a cloth one that hung from his elbow. He gave both of them that smile. “Excuse me, but I’ve made my purchases and my cousin is waiting for me back home.”

“Oi,” Kiba said, “Shisui’s at your place? Why didn’t you just say so? I’ll just follow you back-”

“No.” Sai said, still smiling, bright and lovely and Sakura really had to get over that. She had seen Sai smile plenty of times before! How was this different?

A low gurgling sound interrupted the boys arguing and Sakura flushed. “A-ah,” she said nervously, “Sorry. I uh… haven’t eaten yet.” She pressed her palm against her growling stomach, flushing in embarrassment.

Sai gestured to Kiba, “If you suck his cock, he’ll buy you breakfast.”

Kiba’s face instantly turned red. “Wh-”

Sakura felt her own face heat up, “SAI!” That was way beyond his normal social awkwardness.

“What?” Sai asked, “It’s true, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t fucking do that with Sakura!” Kiba shouted.

“But Kakashi is fine?” Sai asked, cocking his head to the side.

Without even fully processing it, Sakura rounded on Kiba, fury burning in her veins and chakra boiling under her skin. “What the _fuck_ did you do with Kakashi-senpai!?”

“I didn’t-” Kiba started, hands up in surrender, “It wasn’t Kakashi- Our Kakashi- It was the other one- The young one! And he offered!”

“I can’t believe you just-!” She stomped her foot, cracking the stone under her heel, “He’s fucking got a gi- boyfriend, Kiba! That’s so- Ugh!”

“Shisui said it was okay!” Kiba said, frantic now, “I mean! He totally implied he was willing to do the same and- and- and- Kakashi just- He was standing there and staring at me and he was _naked,_ Sakura. He was naked! Have you ever even seen-?”

He didn’t get another word in because Sakura punched him, hard, to shut him the hell up.

She realized a fraction of a second too late that she shouldn’t have put nearly as much chakra into that hit as she had. She shouldn’t have put a single ounce of chakra into it at all. In horror, she watched as Kiba’s body fly back from her still extended fist, his heels skidding on the ground and his back slamming into the side of a building. That cracked, from foundation to roof. And that made the roof sag.

A snarling sound was her only warning to Akamaru springing at her. She dashed back, arms up as his jaws snapped on empty air. “Wait!” She called to the dog, “Wait! I need to go check him- I can heal him. Akamaru! Stop!”

She glanced over to where Kiba was, not yet moving, not yet getting up, but then had to dance back again as Akamaru, snarling and with his hackles raised, advanced on her. Sakura cursed under her breath and took a second to look around, seeking Sai. She couldn’t find him.

Training with Kakashi and his dogs helped, somewhat, when she faced off of the four legged fury that was Akamaru, but he was bigger than any of Kakashi’s dogs and angrier than any of them had ever been. Plus, she was unwilling to draw a weapon on the dog, and not just because he was _Akamaru._

She could still smell the scent of blood, heavy in the air, thick over the smell of crushed underbrush and the leaf debris. It had taken over an hour to get Kakashi to step away from those corpses in the trees and she would never forget the mangled bodies of the two nindogs. “Akamaru, let me heal him!” She shouted, desperation sharpening her voice.

Out of nowhere, Naruto dropped in front of her, catching Akamaru around the neck with his arms and bringing them both twisting, snarling, to the ground. “Sakura!” he shouted, “Go!”

 _Naruto’s dramatic timing has gotten so much better,_ Sakura thought as she rushed past him and to Kiba’s side. There was another kunoichi crouched beside him, her eyes wide with surprise as Sakura went to his other side, hands already glowing green to diagnose and heal. She bit her lip, heart pounding in her ears, as she worked to undo the thoughtless damage she’d inflicted. “Sorry,” She whispered under her breath, “Kiba, I’m so, so sorry.”

He let out a low groan and Sakura did _not_ whisper a prayer in relief. She only doubled down on her work until he was blinking blearily at her.

“....’akura?”

“Kiba,” She smiled at him, “Hey. Don’t move, okay? You’re gonna be okay.”

“Wha?” he shifted and moaned in pain. Sakura pressed lightly on his shoulder to keep him down. “Why?”

“Sorry,” She said, “I’m really, really sorry. I just-” Her jealousy and her anger still boiled deep in her gut. Rationally, she knew that the Kakashi that Kiba had done _that_ with wasn’t hers but-

God. Everything was just a mess.

“Just relax,” she instructed. “I’ll patch you up good as new.”

Kiba grumbled but closed his eyes. He didn’t fight her, trusted her, even though she was the one who put him in the wall and Sakura fought the tears that welled in her eyes. She had fucked up. She had really fucked up.

She just hoped there was some way to salvage things still.

 

* * *

 

Sasuke followed Sai up the steps to his small studio apartment. Sai had given him one long, sidelong look, his expression utterly blank, when he fell in line with him on the street, but hadn’t said a thing. The walk had been brisk, as though Sai wouldn’t mind losing Sasuke out in the streets, but, of course, he was going to have to try harder than that.

The steps were dimly lit. The only source of light came from small windows at either end of the stairwell, and even on metal steps both of them walked silently.

At the door, Sai shifted his grocery bags around enough to reach a hand up to knock. With his hand poised above the wood, he gave Sasuke an unreadable look. “Are you sure you want to see them?”

Sasuke glared at him. Of course he was. “I didn’t walk all this way to visit with you.”

Sai’s expression didn’t change in the least. It was like looking at an ANBU mask. Sasuke stiffened his legs to keep from shifting uneasily and met his gaze. Still staring at Sasuke, he knocked on his own door.

There was a voice from inside saying something that sounded a lot like “Coming!” and brief laughter followed by-

Kakashi swung the door open, leaning against the frame with his arm above his head and a broad, lazy smile on his lips. “Welcome home!” He stepped back, giving them space to enter. Over his shoulder he called, “Shisui, Sai brought a stray home with him!”

Sai stepped in past Kakashi with a little nod and a smaller smile. He paused as he crossed Kakashi.

Sasuke, already staring in surprise at Kakashi’s bare face- well except for the hitai-ate dropped down over his left eye- felt his mouth drop open when Kakashi leaned in and kissed Sai on the cheek. Sai, apparently pleased with this action, nodded again and finished entering the apartment.

Kakashi then turned his attention to Sasuke, “Well?” He asked, “are you going to come too, Sasuke?”

“Your teeth,” Sasuke said without thinking. “What the hell is with your teeth.”

“Eh?” Kakashi blinked. “What do you mean?” He flashed a grin that all but bared impressive canines to Sasuke. “Haven’t you seen them before?”

Sasuke shook his head. “You always wear a mask.”

“Ah.” Kakashi nodded as though that explained everything.

“Kakashi,” Shisui called from inside the apartment, “Stop scaring off little Sasu-chan! Sasuke! Do you want some breakfast?”

Laughing softly, Kakashi stepped back and gestured for Sasuke to enter. He did so, stepping in quietly.

He had never been in Sai’s studio before. He hadn’t even had a vague idea of where it was before that morning. There had never been a need to know. They were on the same team but that didn’t make them friends, no matter what Naruto liked to believe.

Sasuke tensed when Kakashi closed and locked the door behind him. His gaze swept over the large room, from right to left, and picked up odd, out of place things. There was a large seal drawn on a roll of parchment pinned to the wall. On either side of it were two rows of pictures- portraits and scenes filled with the faces of Konoha shinobi- or at least he assumed so from the few he could recognize.

The bedding looked like a twisted nest on the mattress. The kotatsu was littered with loose papers, and the floor around it had even more. He dragged his eyes to the kitchen and felt an unwilling flush climb up his throat to his cheeks.

Shisui stood at the small stove, humming, cooking, wearing nothing but his underwear. There were bruises up and down his limbs that looked like the chaffing marks of rope. More bruises and red marks littered his back, what little of it Sasuke could see anyway. Sai obscured half of Shisui’s body, as he had draped his arms around Shisui’s shoulders. They both turned to look at him, Sai’s face blank, Shisui wearing a bright smile.

“Welcome!” Shisui beamed. “Are you hungry?”

He shook his head, unable to work moisture into his mouth. Sasuke looked away from Shisui, looked for anything else to distract himself, and found himself staring at some of Sai’s drawings.

“Mm, okay okay,” Shisui said, “Kakashi? Can you finish with the vegetables for the lunches please?”

Kakashi walked over, bumping Sasuke’s shoulder with his own as he did. Sasuke shot him a glare, got nothing but silence in response, and then huffily sat down at the kotatsu. He scowled down at the sketches, not really looking at them, not really trying to pay attention to what was going on around him. He wasn’t even really sure _why_ he was there.

Well, that wasn’t exactly true.

He was there to see Shisui- his cousin, his only living relative. He could do without the young Kakashi loitering around and wished Sai was on the other side of the fucking village, but if this was where Shisui was…

Sasuke couldn’t even really explain _why_ he wanted- no, needed- to be near Shisui. Was it simply that familial bond? Was it something more? It wasn’t like this Shisui was really family. He was from another world- a world where apparently Itachi was alive, where Sasuke’s whole family-

No. No. Better not to go down that train of thought. Sasuke evened out his breathing out of habit, working through the surge of grief that had been his near constant companion since he was eight. He closed his eyes. He focused on his hands, resting on the table. One on paper, one on wood. The sensations were different, the wood glossy smooth with a finish and the paper ever so slightly textured.

Grounded, he opened his eyes and looked down. For the first time, his eyes actually saw what was on the paper in front of him. It was a face. Dark, curly hair, eyes so narrow they were barely more than slits and a mouth hanging open, tongue sticking out like the person was panting-

Wait.

Sasuke knew that face.

And there, on the page next to that one, the same face, a different expression, wide eyed and upper teeth biting into a lower lip, an expression of absolute pleading-

Another page, half behind the second, and this one had the face mostly obscured, but showed the sharp outline of throat to clavicle, trailing down to a bare chest with a hand pressed flat in the center-

Next to that page was another, this one more body, from the back, the shadows of shoulderblades and the curve of spine leading down, down, down to narrow hips, and the rounded curve of an ass and oh what the fuck was _that-_

“They’re good, aren’t they?”

“Fuck!” Sasuke shouted, startled, jerking back from the table like it had stung him. Shisui crouched at his side, grinning, still wearing next to nothing. From the front, Sasuke could see even more marks littering his throat and shoulders. He reached across Sasuke with an arm as long and lean as Sasuke had ever seen- but his eyes caught on the purpling bruise on his wrists and stuck there.

“Sai’s an amazing artist. Some of these expressions probably only lasted seconds,” Shisui said, picking one up and smiling at it. “But he captured them perfectly. Just imagine how good he’ll be with the sharingan.”

“What?” Sasuke asked.

Shisui lowered the page and gave him a patient look, “...you’re a bit slow, aren’t you Sasuke?”

Sasuke clenched his jaw. “I am not,” he snapped.

Shisui clearly did not believe him. It was written all over his face. Sasuke clenched his hand into a fist, tempted to punch that expression off his face. “So why are you here?”

Sasuke shrugged a shoulder.

Rolling his eyes, Shisui muttered something that sounded an awful lot like _“spoiled little brat”_ and stood back up. “Well don’t get too carried away with those pictures, cousin. We’ve got plans for today and have used up all our allotted bed wallowing time.”

“...what?” Sasuke asked, scowling. Shisui was even more confusing today than he had been the day before. He had a headache forming, one that threatened to be even worse than those Naruto gave him. “Can you make sense for even one second?”

Shisui huffed. He propped his fists on his hips and said, “Don’t get fucking worked up on that porn, Sasuke, we don’t have time to fuck you. Sai’s going to take us around the village to a few places and meet some people.”

 _“What?”_ Sasuke recoiled, his hands pulling back from the table apparently covered with _porn_ and his cheeks burning.

Shisui reached down and flicked him in the forehead, “Sasuke-”

“Don’t,” Sasuke’s hand shot up and grabbed Shisui by the wrist. His embarrassment twisted into anger at the gesture- so close to Itachi’s poke it made his gut ache- and he glared at Shisui, “Don’t you _dare_ touch me like that.”

Shisui blinked once at him, slow, languid, unafraid. A slow smile spread across his lips. “Or what?”

He tightened his grip threateningly. Shisui didn’t even resist as he pulled it away, bending it awkwardly. His cousin only shifted, following the motion to relieve the stress as much as he could. Because he stood and Sasuke still sat, however, this meant he went down to one knee in front of Sasuke. “Don’t fucking cross me, Shisui,” Sasuke whispered, “I don’t care if we’re cousins. I’m not- I’m not a _child_ you can poke at and tease.”

“Really?” Shisui leaned in suddenly, invading Sasuke’s personal space. His eyes were dark and Sasuke was reminded of the face in the drawings. Shisui’s face in Sai’s artwork. “Then stop acting like a little child, Sasuke. Tossing around threats like that only tells me that you never learned how to deal with being uncomfortable or embarrassed.” He lifted up his other hand, quick and confident. His fingertip was warm as it ran down the side of Sasuke’s jaw, under his bottom lip and then dropped down off his chin.

Sasuke shivered. No one touched him like that. Not even Naruto’s casual touching was like that. He was all arms around shoulders and tackles and shoulder punches.

No one looked at him the way Shisui did, touched him the way Shisui did, no one but-

He let go of Shisui’s wrist, throwing it like he could toss Shisui away from himself and leaned back. “Don’t touch me,” he whispered. His voice was rougher than he thought it should be.

Shisui stared at him for a moment, silent, and then drew back. “That’s all you had to say. No threats necessary.” He rose back to his feet, looking down at Sasuke with an expression entirely too smug. He wore a smile that said _I won this round,_ even though it was Sasuke’s demand that he was obeying.

“I won’t touch you unless you ask me.” Shisui said the words like they were a threat, cool and soft like velvet over a naked blade. Sasuke tensed but his cousin only stepped away and said something to Sai about using his shower.

Sasuke turned away, keeping his spine straight, his hands in his lap, forcing himself not to shake. He didn’t even understand why he wanted to, why his muscles betrayed him with these tiny quivers of sensation. Shisui had only touched him with a fingertip. He hadn’t even felt a fingernail, just the smooth pad.

He rubbed his own hand over his cheek, noting that it wasn’t any more sensitive than normal, and obstinately stared at the wall instead of the table in front of him.

His first observation had been correct.

The center image was a seal- presumably the one that had gotten Shisui and Kakashi stuck in this world. On the left side were portraits of Sasuke’s yearmates, people he knew the name of only because he’d spent so many years in the academy with them. On the right were more shinobi he didn’t recognize, adults mostly, although he saw a face here or there that was familiar.

Now that he looked more closely, he saw thinner strips of paper placed near the pictures. There were words written on them, though he wasn’t close enough to read them.

He slipped away from the kotatsu, getting to his feet and walking up to the wall.

Up close he read that the notes were names with one of two symbols next to it. Most of the ones on the right had triangles next to them, although a few had little stars. On the left, nearly everyone had a star next to their name. Sasuke frowned slightly as he saw his own portrait with a small star and, what looked like several exclamation points. Pointing to it, he turned to address Kakashi, who was in the kitchenette.

At least, that was the plan until he looked over and saw what the fuck Kakashi was doing.

And Sai.

Kakashi and Sai.

Sai who sat on the edge of his table, his hands on either side of his legs for support. Kakashi held him with one hand on his cheek, the other at the back of his neck.

They were kissing. Really kissing. It wasn’t any small peck or even a gentle press of the lips. Sasuke could see Kakashi’s jaw flexing, his mouth slightly open when he pulled back for a panting breath and Sai-

Sai, panting, _moaning,_ his eyes opening and shutting slowly, the tops of his ears turning pink. Sai with more emotion on his face than Sasuke had ever seen. Sai turning his head slightly. Sai looking at him with his dark eyes. Sai smiling with lips red and glossy from kissing. Sai _smirking_ at him and that was _it._

Sasuke didn’t fucking care anymore why his picture was on the wall. He didn’t care where they were going. He didn’t care.

He flicked the lock to the door without a thought and slipped out, letting it slam shut behind himself, hoping that that it broke them out of whatever the hell mood they were in together. He certainly was going to run into Naruto at this rate but he didn’t give a fuck.

Naruto was annoying as hell, but at least he made _sense._

 

* * *

 

In the silence that followed the slamming of the front door, Sai asked, “How was that?” while panting for breath. He licked lips that tingled with a tongue that tasted copper of his own blood. Kakashi’s teeth were sharp and he hadn’t been really aware how sharp until it was too late.

“Surprisingly effective,” Kakashi muttered back. “Want to keep practicing?”

“You are a lot more interested in assistance in my sexual education than you led me to believe originally, Kakashi,” Sai said as Kakashi leaned back in to kiss him.

“Mm,” Kakashi said against his lips, “I have a soft spot for Uchiha.”

Sai didn’t say anything in response, as his mouth was full of Kakashi’s tongue and, really, he didn’t have anything to say to that.

 

* * *

 

At that moment, she wanted nothing more than Kakashi to appear at her side, like he had been so capable of, so willing to do, only days ago, and put his shoulder to hers in a silent show of support. She knew there was no way he would show up now, though. Without a doubt he was still holed up in his apartment, probably curled up on his bed with Pakkun, as he had been when she left the night before.

Still, with Tsunade’s disappointment and Inuzuka Tsume’s almost certain fury looming over her, Sakura wished Kakashi was there.

She needed more than a friend. She needed someone she could count on, someone she could really trust to support her.

She needed someone to tell her it was going to be okay. Just once, just _once,_ she wanted someone to tell her everything would be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> we're on hiatus for this fic for the time being, also, theres a very, very good chance that i'm either going to pull it down and rewrite a lot of it or...something. im not super pleased with.. parts of this :/ we'll see

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Home is behind](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6953101) by [blackkat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat)




End file.
